ETERNUS NO QUIES Final Distance
by Mooders
Summary: A wall separates you from a person. A past makes scared that you might hurt the person you love. You want to reach out, but you can't ;you're all alone. You keep yourself hidden, when all you want to do is to be with someone. "EGO DESIDERIUM VOS MODO"
1. The Pain of an Inescapable Fate

_**Final Distance**_

_**Author: **Moody / Mooders_

**_Disclaimer:_** No, I don't own Newsies (if I did, I'll give them all to you girls. Promise.) I only own my OFC's: Haylie, Hallie, Gail, Taylor Dawn. I don't own the title either. It's a beautiful song by Utada Hikaru, a beautiful J-pop artist I have a huge crush on.

**_Notes: _**Story based on the Utada Hikaru song "Final Distance". Also inspired by the storyline of Final Fantasy X X-2. (I highly stress that it's not a crossover between FFX Newsies. Take note of "Inspired", okay?)

**_Quotable / Tagline: _**

_"Nothing hurts worse than being separated from the one you love."_

_Anonymous_

_**Epilogue:**_

_**A wall of an inescapable fate separates you from a person. Past experiences make you uneasy, afraid, scared you might hurt the person you love. You want to reach out to him, but the wall stops you, and you're left with no one but yourself. You keep yourself hidden, when all you want to do is to be with someone.** **Is your love for the person strong enough to transcend all boundaries? **_

_

* * *

Why did these events come into place?_

_How did our paths meet like this?_

_My sadness would have been unbearable_

_If you have not come into my life._

_But I would not be able to part with my happiness_

_With a heart that loves you deeply._

_It's true that the courses of your actions you take in life_

_Is always the reason for you to be unhappy..._

_I tried to leave the past behind, but it would not let me go;_

_These feelings would not be able to do this to me anymore_

_But the wall that tears us apart is the painful truth_

_That keeps us from being together;_

_Every hope, every wish, every single thing I've wanted..._

_Will be no more but mere memories._

_This will forever be a dream;_

_I hope that I will never again open my eyes face the truth..._

_The love that I have for you is like a sad play_

_In which I am the protagonist_

_And because I started all of this, I should be the one to end it._

_Just think of it as an unfinished music _

_That has to reach its end_

_Think of me as a dream that fades away the moment you open your eyes._

_Free me from this torment of misery that is like poison that kills me slowly..._

_But, no matter how hard I try...why can't I erase this memory of you?_


	2. Haunted By A Past

_I had that dream last night again. That same dream that haunted me for the past five years ever since he died. I don't know why I kept having this strange dream. In it, I was standing alone in the darkness. A cold, unearthly feeling suddenly rushes through my whole body, making me weak, feeling that my life is slowly dwindling away from me & brought me to my knees. Then, when my consciousness is fading away into the darkness, a comforting warmth envelops my fragile state, bringing strength back into my body. The darkness slowly dissolves along with the life-draining coldness. Now, all I can see is light, surrounding everything. When I looked up, I saw a person, a young boy of about twelve, dressed in modern clothes. He offered his hand to me & I took it. But I could never see his face because of the surrounding light. In another version of the same dream, the person I saw was a young man, dressed in old-fashioned clothes & around the age of seventeen years old. It wasn't the same, though; I saw his face. But it startled me when I did. His face is an exact reminiscent of his! _

_I felt scared & confused when I saw his face. Why would he look like you? Is there some connection...?_

_But when I try to touch either one of them, they suddenly vanish. And I'm left all alone again. I wanted to know who were they. But when I think about the young boy, could it be...him? Maybe it was...I don't know. _

_But...who...was the young man?..._

_Is it you? Or does he...just...look like you?_

HAYLIE!

I got startled when I heard my own name coming out from my twin sister's mouth. She hissed at me for being in my own world again.

"W, what?"

"Snap out of it! Come on, it's dismissal time. Let's go home."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that."

We walked out of the classroom along with our classmates. The other students were also pouring out of their classrooms, itching to go home. I was avoiding Hallie's penetrating stare as she opened her mouth to ask 'that question'.

"What's wrong, Haylie?" she asked, putting her hand into my shoulder. Hallie, unlike me though, has long hair that fell down to her waist, just one of the few differences between the two of us.

"No, I'm fine." I said, shaking my head. I was trying to avoid 'that topic'. My twin didn't force me to say it but I know that she was very worried about me & wanted to help me in any way she could.

"HEY, YOU TWO!"

I recognized that small, high-pitched voice right away. We turned around & saw our friends walking towards us.

"Hey guys." I said & gave them a weak smile.

"Why didn't ya wait for us?" said the short, blond-haired Gail. She's always the life of the party, with her bright personality, her child-like ways & her witty wisecracks.

"Oh, um, we're sorry about that." Hallie apologized.

"That's so rude of you two not to wait for us!" said Dawn, the richest in the five of us. She's very beautiful; has shoulder-length blond hair, (heavily highlighted) and doe brown eyes. As much as she is pretty, she very, _very_ vain. And although she can be generous at times, she can also be as selfish.

"Let's go. NOW." Taylor said in a deep menacing tone. Taylor is the eldest in our group. She is a dark enigmatic girl & a complete taciturn. She has silvery/grayish blond hair, (dyed, probably) pale skin & steely hazel eyes. Most of the students are afraid to even come near her because of her dark gothic appearance but because of Gail's friendly & child-like nature, she (accidentally) became friends with them.

"Okay, okay." She said. "You heard the boss. Let's go."

We passed through the exit doors of our school & hopped on to Dawn's car & drove on home.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay, coz you can tell--"Hallie said but I cut off the last words in her sentence.

"I'm fine, Hal." I lied to her. "I'm perfectly fine."

I went back into my silent state & looked out the window, ignoring her stare. Dawn & Gail are singing along with a pop song on the radio, making Taylor really irritated. (She HATES pop music.)

My eyes wandered from person to person walking on the streets, then to the cars moving along w/ theirs. A little boy looked at me from behind the car window. I looked at him as well. Then, he smiled at me. I did the same.

_He reminds me of him_, I thought. _He was in the same age when he..._

I stopped. Thinking about it is quite painful for me, since I haven't completely gotten over it. Then suddenly, I felt a strange need to look outside the car window again. I turned slowly & was shocked at what I saw. My eyes grew wide & I felt a cold feeling rushing through my whole body when I saw a lone figure, strangely blurred around the edges, as though I was looking at it through a misted window. The figure was standing on the pavement, looking at my direction. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on its ends & I can feel goosebumps forming on my arms, face & neck. There was no mistaking that face. It was like that of-

"Frank?"

I felt myself frozen in my seat, unable to move. I can't feel anything; my hands felt numb with cold, my legs felt numb as well. I can't even hear anything. It was like I was on a different world. It was like time stopped around me. I can see his eyes; they were sad, as if longing for something. Or someone, as it seems. But was I seeing a ghost or it's just an illusion?

"Stop the car." I said, those words came out of my mouth with a faint tone.

"What?" Dawn said, looking at me with a startled expression.

"Just stop the car." I said again.

"Why would you-"

"JUST STOP THE GODDAMN CAR!"

I knew by then that I startled everyone in the car. I knew that Hallie was going to panic & will start to ask me what's wrong. I opened the door with haste & ran towards the pavement. I can hear them calling my name, but I ignored them.

"Haylie, wait! Where are you going?"

The figure started to walk away from the spot, but his sad eyes were still looking at me. Even though I was running, I felt that I was rather slow, like I was being held back by something. He walked on the street; passing through the people walking by. At that moment, I felt like he was leading me somewhere. I regained control of myself & followed him wherever he led me. Every turn he made, something changes in the surroundings, shifting its appearance. It was like walking through time. I stared up around me at the buildings; they didn't look the same. They looked...historical. They looked like buildings I've seen in my history book. I followed him inside one. There was a sign outside. It says "Newsboys Lodging House" in fading yellow letters. The interior was blank. It was all blank & strangely gray. It was also dark inside. I felt a cold air rushed behind me, blowing into my cheeks, pushing me towards the staircase. Its handle was broken, & there are more than a few broken steps in it. I treaded it carefully, hoping that my foot won't get caught in one. After a few minutes, I finally reached the top. I felt a dizzy spell rushed through my head. I stopped for a moment & leaned on the wall to rest. Then, I heard the sound of a door creaking open. My heart was beating like a drum. There might be more in here than just this. I walked slowly to the direction where I heard it. Then, I felt like something was moving inside that room. I quietly stepped into the room. It was empty, dank & dark inside. I walked further inside. I looked around it. Then I felt that cold feeling again. I slowly turned to the right. The figure that I was following was standing in a corner. This time, I could see him much more clearly. I was right. It was Frank.

"Frank, is that...you?"

He didn't say anything, just looked at me with his sorrowful eyes.

"Why are you showing yourself to me?"

Once again, I didn't receive a response. But he pointed something at the ground.

"What...?"

I turned around & saw a glint of gold on the floor.

"What is it?" I asked.

He just kept pointing at it. I walked towards it, bent down & picked it up.

"A key? Here?"

It was a beautiful designed golden key, shaped like a clock part with five circular shafts on the upper part of it. It has a silver chain with a medallion engraved with a shape of an hourglass on its end.

"What is this for?" I thought to myself.

_You will know..._

"Huh?"

He spoke with a voice that sounded otherworldly.

_You will know everything..._

"Know what?"

His body was starting to fade away. I didn't understand what he said about 'knowing everything'. I know that he is only an apparition, but I tried to reach for him. My hand went through his.

_You'll find me again..._

"Find you? Where?" My eyes were starting to form tears. I can't let him go now! I don't want to apart from him, even if he is just a ghost.

"NO! Please Frank, don't leave me!"

The visions of him dying in my arms in that car accident went through my head all over again. I felt the same pain from all those years & the pain of longing for him.

_I won't leave you...But you'll find me again..._

"Please! Don't go!" Tears were streaming down my face, unable to stop them.

_You'll find me...somewhere in time..._

After he said those words, he completely vanished, leaving me with tears. I stood up & wiped my eyes with my handkerchief.

"Liar." I whispered. "You said you won't make me cry."

I looked at the key I held in my hand & clutched it tightly in my palm.

"I must know what's this for." I said. "I must."

Then, the door creaked again. My heart skipped a beat. I slowly turned around & was startled at what I saw.


	3. Frank's House

"There you are!"

It was my twin sister & our friends.

"You had me worried!" she said, sounding really scared. "Why did just run off like that?"

I didn't respond. I didn't wanna tell them about what I saw. They might think I was going crazy or something.

"We followed you all the way to this..." Gail said, thinking what word would she use to describe where they are. "...dump."

"Why would you even think of going here?!?" said Dawn in a disgusted tone. (the usual tone.) "Look at this place! It's so disgusting in here! It smells so bad! This is not good for me!"

"Will you quit thinking about yourself?" Taylor said, irritated at Dawn's pretentious ways. It has been always like this. When Dawn opens her mouth to say something & Taylor contradicts it, there will be trouble.

"How dare you..." Dawn said, her brown eyes widening with anger. "You have no right to tell me to shut up!"

"Whatever." Taylor said back. See, I've told you. They always fight whenever they're together. Our job is to stop them from fighting before it gets worse. (Or rather, it was Gail's job. We just sit back & watch.)

"Okay, okay!" Gail said, forcing herself between into the opposing forces. "Let's all get along, shall we girls?" Then, she distanced the two from each other.

"Ya know what? I don't really think you should be fighting all the time. I mean, we're all friends, right? How 'bout it? Truce?"

Dawn tossed her head. "Hmph!"

Taylor just rolled her eyes & crossed her arms.

"Oh, come on! Pleeaazzze????" said Gail, doing the puppy-dog pout.

The two girls looked horrified.

"Oh no! Not the puppy-dog pout!"

The puppy-dog pout: Gail's specialty. She always work things out with that. I wonder how she does it?

Gail kept doing the puppy-dog pout until the two finally gave in.

"Fine!" They said, & held out their hands to each other & shook it.

"YAY!" Gail squealed out loud. "Group hug!"

We did a group hug, much to the dismay of Taylor, who isn't really into sentimentality.

"Ugh, sentiment! It's bad for the image!" she said, half-jokingly & we laughed.

"Okay, can we get out of here now?" Dawn asked, not in her usual tone (so she can avoid Taylor's counter-attack.)

We descended the broken staircase carefully & finally made it outside. The others were bugging about why did I even think of going here.

"Nothing." I said. "It was nothing." I tried to think of something to reason about. A cat was the only thing I could think of.

"I saw a cat running towards here. It was injured."

Obviously, they didn't believe me; I wasn't very good at lying. Even I thought that was stupid. An injured cat, running?

"Haylie, that's the stupidest thing I have ever heard." My twin sister said. "How can a cat run that fast when it has an injury?"

"Well, I...I..." I was running out of excuses. Should I tell them the truth?

"C'mon, Lee, tell us." Gail said, her baby-blue eyes focused on me.

"Whatever it is, we'll believe you." Dawn said, looking at me with her eyebrows partially raised.

"What did you see anyway?" Taylor asked.

It took me a while to think if I should tell them about it. I decided to tell them.

"...and that's what happened before you guys came."

I'm not sure if they believed me, from the look on their faces.

"Haylie, please stop lying to us." Hallie said in a casual tone, which annoyed me a bit.

"I'm not! You wanted me to tell the truth, well, there it is!" I said back.

"Lee, c'mon. I mean, it's Frank. I know you're hurt about what happened in the past but you've gotta let it go." Gail said, sounding concerned, but that didn't comfort me.

"Don't you think I'm trying to do that?!? Do you how hard it is to let go of something like that?"

My eyes were starting to flood again, but I stopped it from pouring down like a faucet.

"You said you found a key." Taylor said. "Where is it?"

That's it! That's the proof I need! I dug deep into my pocket, felt its smooth handle & took it out. They were absolutely shocked when they saw it & realized I was telling the truth.

"Oh my freakin' God!" Gail exclaimed. "So it's true? You did see Frank's ghost!"

"Oh my..." Hallie said, looking at the key, amazed.

Taylor took the key & examined it intently.

"How can it be, that this key is inside that building when it's abandoned?" she said.

"Well, someone who used the building as a hiding place could've accidentally dropped it & left the place." Dawn said, looking at the key with great interest. Maybe, I thought. That could have been possible. But why would Frank's ghost show himself to me just for a key? What should I do with it? There IS a connection between him & that key...but what?

"Let's go to Frank's house, guys." I said firmly, without a single doubt on my head.

Hallie, of course, didn't approve of it.

"Are you out of your mind?!? That house is abandoned! What, are you suggesting we break into that house?"

I looked straight into her eyes & said, "What would you do, Hallie, if you were in my situation?"

She paused, looking for the right words to say.

"I...I...You're really not serious about this?"

I didn't respond, just gave her an eye contact to let her know that I am serious about this.

"Haylie, you have to think about what you're saying!" said Dawn. "You can't just rush us into this."

I shifted my eyes into hers.

"I already made up my mind."

"But Haylie..." Gail whined.

"You heard me, Gail." I said, in a soft tone.

Taylor handed me the key.

"Aren't you going to say something just to change my mind?" I asked. That was a stupid question, I thought. She barely says anything at all. She just gave me a short phrase.

"No, I'm not."

We went inside Dawn's car, not talking to each other, & drove on to Frank's house. It was an abandoned residence, with walls broken, windows shattered, & it has been covered by long blades of grass & weeds. From the outside, it looks so creepy that no one even dared to go near it. I also have heard rumors from several people I know that whenever they pass through the house, they always felt a cold wind rushing behind them. Others felt an unearthly presence around it. But others said that they saw a faint image of a boy walking around the house. If I'm correct, it must have been him, still unable to leave this world...

Dawn parked the car in front of it & we went outside. Suddenly, I felt that eerie unearthly presence.

"He's here." I said. "I can feel him."

I heard Gail whined. She's very afraid of these kinds of things.

We walked towards the house, slowly & cautiously. I saw Gail's face marked with terror. Dawn was in the same state as well. The color has been drained away from their faces, replacing it with chalk-white. Taylor doesn't seem to be scared at all. She was very calm & isn't bothered by anything at all. Hallie was scared. I can see it in her eyes, but tried to look calm. The door was locked, of course, but it's a good thing it's not boarded up. Taylor took a strong piece of wood & tried to open the front door.

"Great, I've always wanted to break into an abandoned house & look like a criminal." She said in a tone of sarcasm.

Finally, the door swung open. We entered it & saw how dark, creepy & unnerving it was to be inside an abandoned house. Nothing has really changed in it (the furniture & other stuff were left untouched), except that it's creepy, everything is covered in dust & the walls were rotting from old age. I even asked myself why did I think of coming here. I might find nothing at all. But still...I want to know. Shortly, a few days after Frank's burial, his parents mysteriously disappeared without a trace. I remembered their faces when they saw his body inside the coffin. Tears kept gushing out of his mother's eyes, grieving for the loss of her son. His father, though he wasn't crying, I knew that he was hurting inside too. I just don't understand why would they just disappear like that, without a single trace. Police investigation plagued the whole house, endlessly searching for clues that might lead them to the reason of their disappearance. Questions here & there, which lead to nothing. Finally, when they realized that they will never solve the mystery, the police had no choice but to close the case.

"Okay, this is really freakin' scary." Gail whimpered, cowering behind Taylor.

"Will you please get off me?!?"

We walked through the dark hallways of the house & upstairs through the old staircase. Holding to each other, we checked every room upstairs. I know that what I'm doing is wrong, but this is the only way I can think of solving the mystery haunting me. We went first into the room, which used to be Frank's. All of his things, the ones he considered his treasure, were still there, slowly being eaten by dust. I found a picture frame on top of his bedside table & sat at the dusty chair near his study table. I brushed the dust away from frame. My eyes started to form tears when I stared at the picture. It was a picture of us, goofing around, happy smiles across our faces. Why is it that I didn't tell you what I really felt? That I don't think of you as my big brother anymore? That I ...really...loved you from the start?

"Haylie..."

I felt my sister's hand on my shoulder. I looked at her, & she gave me a smile to comfort me. My friends also gave me smiles of comfort.

"You really loved him that much, didn't you?" Dawn asked, her eyes giving a sign of concern.

I nodded. Gail kneeled down & looked at me.

"Don't worry, Lee." She said. "We're always here for you."

"Thanks, Gail." I responded in a soft tone. I knew that all along. My sister & my friends are always there whenever I needed them.

Taylor just looked at me, but not with her usual stare. But I know what she's trying to say. She doesn't have to use words to express what she wants to say. After all, that's the way she is.

I opened the drawer in the table. It was filled of Frank's cowboy toys he used to play with when he was little. Along with those, there was a red bandanna, dusty & old of age. I remember that he used to like wearing this when we were playing & we end up laughing about it because he looks funny. There was also his toy pistols, his sheriff pin, a little toy horse, pictures of cowboys & horses, &...a photo torn in the middle.

"Whose photo is this?"

The photograph was in black & white, almost disfigured because of old age. The only thing that the torn picture shows is someone's upper body. The part that was torn was the head. Did he do this? But why? Whose picture is this?

"Hey guys." I said, in a solemn tone. "I found something."

They moved towards me & looked at the torn photo.

"What's that?" Gail asked curiously.

"A photo of someone." I replied.

Gail eyed the photo curiously. She smirked afterwards.

"Why is his head missing? Who took it off?"

"Who would know who tore this in half?" Taylor asked her in a kinda fake serious tone.

Gail looked at her, trying to find the words to say. After a moment, she gave up.

"Oh, poopie!"

We laughed, although not in an insulting manner. It's just that Gail's habit of blurting out something pointless is kinda adorable.

"Okay, Haylie, why don't we just find the missing half?" Hallie said, drawing a smile upon her face.

"Okay." I said & we started searching for the other half. I looked through his belongings again, dug deep in every corner I can see in the room. I can hear Dawn complaining again in the other room.

"OMIGOD! I am not, I repeat, I am not gonna touch that!"

"Shut up."

That would be Taylor, saying one of her favorite phrases to the one she likes to say it the most.

"Why you...You shut yourself up!" Dawn countered her.

Suddenly, I heard my sister's voice call out to me from the other room.

"HAYLIE! OMIGOD, YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!"

Feeling my pulse getting faster, I stood up & ran to the room where she is. The others ran to the room as well. As I've entered the room, I saw Hallie, shaking from head to toe, her face white as chalk, holding something in her hand. She handed it to me; I felt her hand as cold as ice. I took it, the pulse throbbing in my ears. It was the missing half of the photo. But I experienced the same state my twin is in right now. The missing half, the face of the person was finally revealed. But I realized who it was. It was the young man in my dreams!

"T-turn it over." Hallie stuttered.

I did what she told me to do. Something in the upper left part of it was inscribed. I read it with my voice shaking.

"Leader of the New York Newsboys Strike of 1899:

Jack Kelly."


	4. Shocked

I don't know if I'm going crazy or my eyes are playing tricks on me. If I read right, the young man in this picture goes by the name of Jack Kelly. Somehow, although vaguely...that name sounds familiar.

_"In 1899, New York City, the streets were filled with newsboys, on every corner of the streets, selling newspapers for just a measly penny. But when Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst & other newspaper hotshots decided to increase the paper's price, they were outraged & decided to hold a strike against them. And they couldn't have done it, without their leader, Jack Kelly."_

"Oh my God! Haylie, this guy... He's the leader of the Newsboys Strike way back in 1899!" My sister said, looking fascinated but bewildered.

I remember...it was in History class this afternoon. We were listening to a lecture given to us by our teacher. But I didn't feel like listening. I was caught up in my own little world again. But it was around that part when I got the urge to pay attention. Our teacher showed us a picture of the newsboys, but I didn't see it completely. I wonder...what if I did? I wonder how would I react if I saw that young man from my dreams in that picture?

"O.M.G.!" Dawn exclaimed. "Are you saying that this guy is mentioned in your History class & incidentally looks like Frank?"

"Uh, yeah?" Hallie said, looking at her.

Dawn shrugged her arms, looked at the picture with her eyebrow slightly raised.

"He's hot."

Gail squealed. " I TOTALLY AGREE!"

You know that situation in anime shows that when a character says something irrelevant & the other characters faint with exaggeration? This is one of those times.

"You want me to hurt you?" Taylor said, her eyes glinting with malice, & punched her left hand with the other.

"Honestly!" Hallie said. "You two, please be serious!"

I just laughed quite a bit. But I still can't shake it out of my thoughts. How could this be possible? Someone from the past resembles Frank completely. Does it mean that Frank is the descendant of Jack Kelly or something? This is strange. Everything seems so weird. It feels like this was all connected. Somehow... Frank's mysteriuos & untimely death, his parents' disappearance, those dreams I have, his ghost haunting this house, the key we found, & now...this picture of Jack Kelly, the strike leader of 1899. Nothing makes sense! The more I try to find the answers, it just leads to more questions.

"C'mon, let's go, you guys." I said.

Hallie turned around at looked at me.

"You sure? Are you really sure? Because, I'm not going back here ever again."

"Me too." Gail added.

"I'm sure. I think found what I'm looking for, so come on, let's go."

"Like, finally!" Dawn said, tossing her hair aside.

We went out of the room, down the staircase & into the entrance hallway. Gail was completely relieved of getting out of here, so she walked fast out of the door.

"I'm soooo stoked on getting out of here!"

"Gail, there's something behind you..." Taylor said, looking horrified.

Horrified as well, Gail asked in a faint tone.

"Wha...wha...what is it?!?"

She turned around slowly, slowly, slowly...

"Boo."

"AAAGGGHHHhhhhh....what the...???"

It was only her own reflection in the mirror.

"TAYLOR!!!"

Again, we can't help but laugh. I don't know if Taylor would laugh, (or does she even know what it means) but I think she's having fun by teasing Gail.

"You're a meanie!" Gail said, in a little girl's voice.

"Heh. Come on, let's get out of here." Taylor said, her lip curving into what seemed like a smile.

Gail pouted at her.

"Bleeehhh!!"

As we went out of the house, I felt something cold grasp my hand. The others were already outside, & I wanted to leave, but I feel like being held back.

"Haylie, what's wr--"

They all looked horrified. I turned my eyes on where I felt the coldness & saw an apparition hovering beside me.

"OMIGOD!" Dawn screamed.

The apparition's figure was blurry & unclear. But when 'it' spoke, it was seen much more clearly who it was.

_Haylie..._

_So, you've found it..._

_If you're thinking that he's my ancestor, then you're wrong..._

_But...if you want to find out who he is or what's his connection with me..._

_Use that key. _

"Frank, wait!"

After that, he disappeared again in thin air. I turned my point of view to the others. I saw that their faces were completely white & pale. Looks of sheer terror were upon their faces.

"EEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

Gail & Dawn let out a piercing scream. But Hallie was too dumbfounded to scream, or to even move. Taylor, also in shock, nudged her on the sides.

"C'MON, MOVE! LET'S GO!"

I ran to the car, went inside it & slammed the door. As soon as I went inside, Dawn stepped on it & sped away.

"I think we've had far too many shocks today!" Dawn said, unfocused while driving. Who wouldn't, after what they saw?

"Watch the road!" Gail shouted at her but Dawn ignored her as she almost hit a lampost with someone leaning on it.

"HEY, WATCH IT, YOU BITCH!"

"God, this is so not my day!" she complained, while Taylor was already clenching her fists in anger.

"Calm down, Dawn! Please, for God's sake!" Hallie said, her eyes focused on the steering wheel.

"Okay, tell me exactly how could I calm down after what I saw?!?" she answered back.

"WATCH THE FREAKIN' ROAD, YOU IDIOT!!!" Gail shouted, freaking out by what she saw, & Dawn's drunken-like driving as she sped out & overtaking a large oil truck.

"WILL YOU CLOSE THAT MOUTH OF YOURS?!? I THINK I'M THE ONE WHO"S DRIVING, SO JUST STOP TELLING ME WHAT THE FUCK I SHOULD DO!!!" Dawn shouted back, confused by anger & fear.

I could understand why would they react like that, but is it really necessary for them to panic & fight each other?

"Please, calm down, both of you!" Hallie said, panicking.

"I think you should both shut those fucking ass-mouths of yours & just be quiet." Taylor said, her voice slightly raised. "Dawn, just plaster your eyes to the windshield & look where you're driving at." she continued, "And you, be quiet & just sit there."

We all fell silently quiet after she spoke. Dawn drove silently (and safely) along the streets. We dropped Gail at Little Italy. She didn't say goodbye or anything, she just went on her way. Then, we dropped Taylor on East Village. She also didn't say anything.

Finally, Dawn dropped us on Greenwich Village. We said goodbye to her but she just looked at us & nodded. She drove to Financial District & out of sight. I looked at Hallie & she looked back at me. And all I could say was this.

"Funny sort of day, wasn't it?"


	5. A Short Notice Slumber Party

We opened the door of our home & stepped inside.

"_Tadaima." _We said. It means "We're home" in English. You see, our father's British & our mother's Japanese. And we're the only children in our family.

"_Okaeri nasai!" _Our mother said. She kissed us both on our foreheads.

"Where's dad, mother?" I asked.

"Oh, he's in the living room. Go say hello to your father."

"Okay." We said. We walked to the living room & saw our father sitting in the couch.

"Hey dad." Hallie said.

"Oh, hello my darlings." He said, his blue-green eyes shimmering beneath his spectacles.

"Father, you & mom were supposed to go on to that trip today, weren't you?" I asked.

"Oh yes, well after dinner we are to leave immediately. So you two, be good, alright?" he said, pinching our cheeks.

"Dinner's ready!" our mother said. The smell of katsudon wafted from the dining room, making our stomachs growl with hunger. Father stood up & walked towards the dining room.

"Come on, then. Let's eat."

"We'll be right there."

As soon as he left the room, I turned to my sister & said "Thank God he didn't ask anything about today."

Hallie nodded.

"Come on, let's eat."

We entered the dining room, sat down & prayed as we always do every dinner.

"_Itadakimasu!_"

Exactly after dinner, Mom & Dad went upstairs in a hurry to get their bags to leave right away.

"Now, remember everything we've told you." Said Father. "Just call us in case of a grave emergency & we'll come home right away."

"Okay, okay. We will." Hallie said.

"You two be careful, now." I said.

"And you two, I wanted to make sure that you'll be fine so I asked our neighbor, Mrs. Davies, to check up on you." Our mother said, being extra caring about us.

"_Okasan_, you'll be gone in only two short days. Don't worry, we'll be fine." Hallie said, shrugging her arms.

Our parents really looked reluctant on leaving us all alone in the weekends. But Hallie, feeling ready to take the responsibility, _assured_ that we are just fine on our own & told them to go already. Well, after a struggle, they finally decided on going.

"Goodbye, you two! And be good now!" Father said, waving goodbye on us from the car.

"_Itte mairimasu._" Our mother said goodbye in Japanese. And we gave her the appropriate response.

"_Itte' rasshai, Okasan! Otoosan!_"

Then, the car sped off away & out of sight. I picked up the phone & called our friends to come over so we can have a slumber party. I know it's kinda weird, but to tell you the truth, I'm not comfortable being alone here with just me & my sister.

"...I know it's kinda short notice but can you make it?"

"I don't know...wait, hold on...Hey, mom, can I stay at Haylie & Hallie's house tonight?.........Okay, she said yes."

"Great. Okay, how about Taylor? Is she going or not?"

"I already told her about it, but I'm not sure if she's going. You know the way she is. But I'll force her to go."

"How?"

"My secret weapon: The infamous puppy-dog pout."

"Haha. Okay, I gotta go now. We're going to prepare our snacks. Don't forget to bring those DVDs, Gail, okay?"

"Alright, I won't. See you on the flipside!"

"Yeah, bye!"

I hanged up after my conversation with Gail.

"So, she'll make it?" Hallie asked.

"Uh, yeah. Her mom's going to drive her here & they'll pick up Taylor on the way.

"Taylor?"

"Yeah. Gail's gonna force her to go."

"How?"

"The puppy-dog pout."

"Oh."

The doorbell rang.

"That must be Dawn." I said & stood up to open the door. She came in, dressed in a lavender 3/4's shirt, asymmetrical denim skirt & boots that made her look like she was going to the mall.

"Dawn, why are you dressed like that? You're just going to spend the night here." I asked, looking at her in amazement.

"Well, I just got these pair of boots & I wanted to try it right away. Don't you think it's just fabulous?" she said, proudly displaying her "fabulous" pair of boots.

"Um, they're...they're nice."

"I know, right?"

I just noticed right now that there's something behind her moving.

"Uh, Dawn, who, or what's that behind you?" I asked.

She looked behind her shoulder.

"Oh that? That's Steven." She said, her left eyebrow raised. She snapped her fingers at him.

"Get those in!"

Steven was a short, scrawny man who has eye bags hanging beneath his eyes. He is Dawn's...um...personal assistant. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Well, that's what you get if you're a super-spoiled & a pampered girl. Those things he was carrying was Dawn's bags, which I thought was strange since...well, wait a minute, why would Dawn carry so many bags? She was just going to stay here for just one night.

"You can put it down now." Dawn said.

Steven looked as if he was going to burst into tears of joy. He put all of those heavy-looking bags down.

"You can go now, Steven." Dawn said, as if she was shooing off a fly.

Steven bowed at her & left in a hurry.

"Honestly! You can never get good service these days!" Dawn said, flipping her hair & shrugging her arms.

I can't help but ask about those bags so I did.

"Dawn, what's with the bags?"

"Oh nothing." She said, raising her eyebrow again. "Just a few clothes."

"You call that a few?"

Someone spoke behind her. We both turned around. It was Taylor, Gail & her mom.

"Uh, yes. I would call that a few." Dawn said in a pretentious manner.

"Hey guys!" Gail said.

"Hey Gail, Mrs. Parker." I said, smiling.

"Hello, Haylie. Where's your parents?" she asked.

"Umm, they're on a trip right now. They just left an hour ago."

"Oh, so you & your sister are all alone for the weekends?"

"Well, yeah."

"Good for you! Gail here would beg not to be left home! She's still a little bit childish, you know?"

I caught the expression on Gail's face. Her face was almost red with embarrassment.

"Mom!"

"Oh sorry! Well, I better get going now! You girls have fun!"

"Bye Mrs. Parker!" I said.

"Bye mom!" Gail said.

Taylor sneered at what she heard. So did Dawn.

"So, you don't like to be left alone in the house?" Dawn said, grinning. "Why, will da iddy widdy monster get you & eat you for dinner?"

"Oh, shut up!" Gail said, her face red with anger & embarrassment.

"Or maybe because you're afraid of the dark." Taylor said with a mischievous grin across her face.

"No way!"

"Oh yes you are!" Dawn added. "Like what happened today on Frank's..."

She paused. She didn't continue on what she was going to say. Well, I knew why. She was still terrified. And also Gail. I don't about Taylor, though. I don't even know if she got scared.

"Let's just go on to the living room, shall we?" I said.

They followed me into the living room.

"You guys wait here. Here's the remote."

I went into the kitchen, where Hallie was preparing the food we're going to eat.

"Are they already there?" she asked.

"Yeah. Including Taylor." I said.

"Oh. Here, help me with this."

She handed me the tray, which is full of sushi. I walked into the living room & placed it on to a table.

"Here you go, guys."

Gail whipped out all of the DVDs she brought, which I've noticed it was all horror movies.

"Wait, are you sure you wanna watch this, Gail? You might get nightmares." Dawn said, teasing her again.

"Please stop talking." Gail said in an annoyed tone.

We went on to the horror movie marathon. It's kinda starnge, you know? They just experienced seeing a ghost today & they're here watching horror movies. They're taking this matter as if it never happened. Unbelievable.

It was almost midnight after all the talking & the movie marathon, which I didn't watch. We're all tired so we decided to go to bed.

"Hey, could someone help me with these bags?" Dawn asked for help. And naturally, Taylor gave her a sarcastic attack.

"Go help yourself. There's the stairs. Use it."

Dawn was annoyed, but she responded in just a short sentence.

"Oh please shut yourself up!"

I helped Dawn in carrying her bags. And mind you, they're very heavy. We took turns in the bathroom & changed into our night dresses.

"There's something behind you, Gail." Dawn said, in a obviously fake expression of terror.

"Heh, I'm not falling for that again!" She said, her voice slightly raised.

"Oh no! It's Frank!" Dawn said again in the fake tone of shock.

Gail turned around &let out something that was like a scream.   
"AAAAGGHHhhhhh...."

It was just Taylor.

"You bitch!" Gail said, while Dawn was rolling in the bed with laughter. Me & Hallie were laughing as well. Gail grabbed a pillow & threw it at Dawn. She hit her, & to return the favor, she grabbed a pillow & threw it back at Gail, but it missed. Instead it hit Taylor. We thought she was going to be angry but she just joined in & threw the pillow back. Pillow Fight!

After I thought was thirty minutes, we got tired of it. I felt the sleepiness taking over me & I just fell asleep.


	6. The Field Of Souls

_Haylie..._

_Wake up, Haylie..._

"Huh?"

_Wake up..._

"Who's there?"

_Open your eyes..._

"Who...are you?"

_Arise...arise..._

"Frank?"

_Come to me..._

My eyes snapped wide open. I was still laying down my bed beside Hallie, who was sleeping peacefully. Darkness was engulfing the room as I sat up & saw dark figures laying on the floor. I realized right away that it was Dawn, Taylor & Gail. I immersed myself in my own thoughts. That voice...I'm sure it was Frank's. With so many things that happened today, I even thought that this was normal. He said, "Come to me." What did he mean by that? Is he saying that I should go back to that house? Then suddenly, for a split second...I saw that house on my mind again. For just a split second...

Without thinking for just a minute, I got off the bed, ran to the closet & took out a shirt, a hooded vest & a skirt. I changed into these, put on my socks & my shoes, & quietly went out the door. I avoided making any noise & descended the stairs silently. I took the keys from the key holder & headed for the front door & unlocked it. I went out but as soon as I did, I saw another vision of something. The key I found in that abandoned building...

I hurriedly went upstairs (and avoided making any noise) to our room & took my bag, which I've decided to bring anyway, in case I might need something. I also took my flashlight from the side table & shoved it on the side pocket of my bag. I was walking out the door when I heard something. It was nothing to worry about. Taylor just grunted in her sleep. Slowly, I turned around but I heard Hallie stir.

"Haylie, whereyugoin?" she said groggily.

I was forced to answer. I told her that I was just going downstairs to drink a glass of water.

"Alrigh..." Then, she fell back to sleep. I tiptoed through the stairs & finally out the front door.

"Finally..." I sighed.

I made my way to his house. If it was unnerving the first time, this was more terrifying & spine-chilling this time. I stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of hall. I could smell that damp, dust, rotting smell & felt a funny prickling on the back of my neck. God, I can't believe I'm doing this. I took my flashlight out & let its light shine through the eerie darkness of the house. I gasped as I've heard a loud thump from somewhere. It was just the wind blowing in & slamming the broken window. Still, I didn't let this make me lose my courage, even though I can feel it dwindling away. I looked at my watch. It was already 3:00 in the morning. If in any way he shows up again, I will have to ask him everything. I don't care how scary this place might be. I have to see him & ask him about everything. Everything I wanted to know.

I sat on his bed, waiting for him to appear. But with all the darkness surrounding this place, I was starting to feel immense fear.

"Please, Frank...show yourself. Just show yourself to me. Please..." I muttered to myself. Then, that strange, eerie cold feeling began to surround me. That life-draining coldness. The very same in my dream. I started to feel weak & sleepy. Then...strangely enough, I felt myself falling. Falling in a bottomless pit. Bright, insubstantial light was surrounding me, just like in my dream, but this time I was falling.

"It's so bright."

Suddenly, someone spoke to me.

_Can you hear me?_

"...Yes."

I looked around but I saw no one.

"Where...where are you? I can't see you?"

_Right here._

When I opened my eyes, I saw that I wasn't in Frank's room anymore. Instead, I was in a place I found difficult to describe. 'Ethereal', I thought, was the right word to describe this place. It was a field, a beautiful field carpeted with flowers. Its petals were swaying in the wind. And along with these, I noticed that there's something else floating around. White orbs of light were fluttering around like fireflies. These things floated all around me, surrounding me, feeling its warm glow upon my skin. Then, all of a sudden, I felt that my clothes were fading away. When I looked again, I thought I would see myself naked, but rather, I was draped in a snow-white silk gown.

"What's happening?..."

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere...an otherworldly voice spoke.

_There you are._

I was startled when I heard that voice. I turned around. Out of the mist, I saw an outline of someone. It was walking towards me. As the closer it approached, I finally saw _his_ face. My eyes widened as I did. It was Frank.

_I finally found you._

I could never believe my eyes.

"Is that...really you?"

He smiled, like the way he used to when he smiles at me.

_It is me. Jack. I've waited so long...Selene._

I was really confused. Why did he call me "Selene"? Who is she? And he just call himself..."Jack"? My eyes were intensely focused on him right now. As he walked closer, the white orbs flew all around him, changing his appearance. As I watched in awe, he turned someone else. It was all too soon when I've realized that I'm facing the young man that I've been dreaming about. That same young man in the picture I found. And the very same young man who lead the 1899 New York Newsboys strike.

Jack Kelly.

_Selene..._

"But...but I'm not Selene." I turned my back on him. I didn't want to face him. I was afraid...for some unknown reason.

_Selene...we used to play together when we were little, but one day...you just suddenly disappeared from my memories. I couldn't understand how it happened..._

He continued, in his unearthly voice, in a solemn tone.

_When you went away, my life changed. My mother died, my father got arrested...my life became unbearable. I became an orphan. I was sent to The Refuge. All those times I've spent in there, I realized something. I've lost everything, including you. But now...I have my memories back. My memories of you. Just after we won the strike...I got it all back. But...just after I did, I learned something. We could never be together after all..._

He said these words full of grief & regret. I felt really sorry for him. I knew what he meant. I could understand what he feels. Nothing hurts worse than being separated from the one you love...

_I loved Sarah...but...I could never let go of my feelings for you, even though you already passed away. More than a hundred years have passed, and I can't leave it all behind. _

_But I'm through waiting..._

_Now, nothing could separate us anymore...nothing. There's no distance to part us. We can be together again. With you...Selene._

I felt him touch my shoulder. Although, I've thought these words "Don't touch me," I never came out and say it. The suddenly, he just wrapped me in a tight embrace.

I was startled when he did that. In my mind, I was going to push him away. But something told me not to. In that embrace, I felt complete warmth, rapture, bliss. Then, visions raced through my mind. Unknown feelings welled up in my heart. Feelings that I don't think is my own. Whose feelings are these? Whose memories are these?

Selene's?

Mine?

"Open your eyes!"

I heard someone shout at me. But the moment it did, everything started to dissolve around me, including him.

"No, no! Please don't"

The surroundings also faded away. Then, everything just vanished.

"NOOOOOO!!!!"

"Haylie, open your eyes! Please!"

And I did. I saw my sister leaning over me, along with the others.

"Oh my God! I...I thought you were..." Hallie said, tears falling from her eyes. Then, she just hugged me. I hugged her back & tried to stop her from crying.

"Okay, okay. I'm fine now. Please stop crying."

"What were you doing here, Haylie?" Dawn asked. I could tell from the look on her face that she was also worried.

"I...I..." I was meant to say everything, but it just came out as a stutter.

"You were trying to find more answers." Taylor said, as if she read my mind. "Weren't you?"

Unable to say it, but I just nodded at her. Then, I looked at my surroundings. I suddenly realized that I wasn't in Frank's bedroom anymore. I was in the backyard, where all the grass & weeds have grown so long. I also noticed a brick wall amongst all the thick long grass. Wait a minute...how come I've never noticed this before? But the real question here is...how did I get down from the bedroom to the backyard? I was pretty sure I was in the bedroom & fell asleep. Or so I thought. I dwelled back to what I've seen in that 'dream'.

"Will you guys tell me how I've got here?" I asked, still thinking about it.

Hallie shrugged her arms & said, "Well, we should be the ones asking you that."

Perplexed about what I heard from my sister, I turned around & looked at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"We followed you here, although we searched for you almost throughout the whole city. Then we realized, wherever you might be, it would be right here." Gail said.

Unsatisfied from her answer, I asked them again.

"Okay, where exactly did you find me? Upstairs, in Frank's room or here?"

"How many times do we have to tell you, Haylie?" said my sister, quite irritated. "Right here, in the backyard."

At that moment, my blue-green eyes widened & I felt a strange churning in my stomach. I was inside Frank's room, waiting for him to show up. Then, the next thing I know, I'm here in the backyard! What's happening to me? Am I getting delusional?

"Why are you saying that you were in Frank's bedroom, when clearly, you are right here?" Hallie said. I turned instantly at her direction.

"Because I was." I said, looking at her straight in the eyes. I could see that she was really doubting me. So I told them everything I saw. After all that, they all looked at me weirdly.

"Okay, you were, like, in some place, you say? With all the creepy floating things around you?" Gail asked in a completely puzzled look.

"Yeah. Then I saw _him_." I said. I asked them how they found me here afterwards.

"Well, you were walking like you were on the moon or something." Gail said, still a bit perplexed.

"Yeah, you were following a floating white orb." Dawn said, and she shivered. "It was so scary."

I was following a floating white orb? Just like the ones I saw in that vision? Okay, now everything's screwed up. Even the thought that I was walking around like some mindless zombie made me shiver. And Jack Kelly...I can't believe I would actually see him & Frank at the same time. I was also wondering...who's Selene?

I noticed that Hallie's face was chalk-white. Her eyes were bulging to the size of dinner plates. Beads of sweat slid down her face. Now it's my turn to be a worrywart.

"Hallie, Hallie, what's wrong?"

She didn't say anything, but she turned her eyes at me.

"C'mon, tell me what's wrong!"

The others were getting nervous as well.

"Hey Hal, c'mon, what's wrong?" I could tell that Gail was already panicking.

Finally, Hallie seemed to have found her voice.

"Did you say that you found yourself in a field of flowers & white orbs were flying around?" she said quietly.

"Yes?"

Then, she just whispered to me the next sentences she was going to say. I was surprised about what she said. I couldn't believe what I've heard. What was that vision I saw? Did I see myself...in heaven?


	7. It All Begins Here

I stared absentmindedly at my sister after she whispered to me. If what I saw was...really the final resting place of all souls, then...what am I doing there? Did I see where I would go after I die? When I think about it, I feel like I've seen the future. But...seeing yourself in heaven...is that what you would really call a premonition, a dream...or a hallucination?

"What?"

After that, Hallie just stared back at me, at a loss for words. She turned her back at me.

"I don't know if what I saw was true, Haylie," She said quietly, "but I don't think it's something to be taken seriously."

"Not to be taken seriously? Hallie, we saw the same dream!" I can't believe what she was saying! Why would she think that it's not to be taken seriously? This has gone too far! I have to get to the bottom of this mystery or we'll both be stuck in it forever!

"Dammit, Haylie! I don't know anymore! I don't what to do anymore!" She said, her voice shaking.

We just looked at each other for a minute, not breaking the stare between us.

"Umm...Haylie?" Gail poked at me on my shoulder. I chose the option of ignoring her, as I just continued to be silent. She poked at me again; I still ignored her. Then, for the third time, I just have no choice but to hear what she wants to say.

"What is it, Gail?"

Her eyes stood transfixed at my bag lying on the ground. Dawn & Taylor looked at its direction. I saw their eyes widened. I looked at it. There was something shining in it. At first, I thought that it's just my flashlight, left turned on. But, I realized that I have my flashlight in my hand. And it's properly turned off. I felt a chill running down my spine. I cautiously approached the bag. Whatever that's in there is now shining brightly.

"Haylie, what are you doing?!?" Hallie shouted.

I ignored her. I unzipped the bag & was startled when something flew out of it. I couldn't say for sure what it was, since it's being engulfed in a very bright light. I tried to think of whatever could it be. Then, it finally came to my mind.

"The key..."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, five stones appeared. Five shining stones the size of little pebbles flew around the shiny mass of light, which is the golden key.

"WHOA!" Gail exclaimed. "What the heck are those?!?"

"What the hell is happening?!!" Dawn said.

All of a sudden, something appeared on the side of the brick wall. A small, elaborately designed plate with a carving of a clock & a key-shaped recess. The light faded away from the mass, revealing the golden key. The five stones flew to the key, each stone placed itself on the five circular shafts on it. After it happened, the key flew towards me, in an alarming speed as if it's going to attack me.

"HAYLIE, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" My sister screamed. Once again, I ignored her. Strangely, I felt that I finally know what to do with it. Although, I still can't understand why or how I came to know about it. The key stopped in front of me, hovering softly like a little bird. My eyes were transfixed on the thing. I reached out to it & held it in my hand. I felt its warmth though my skin. Then, I couldn't say for sure but I thought I saw someone standing in the middle of the wall. When I blinked, it was gone.

"Okay, I think I wanna go home." Gail said, her voice quivering.

"_No_."

"What?"

"_I said no_."

I felt weird. I was sure that I wasn't talking, but those words...it came out from my own mouth!

"_No one must leave._"

I tried to move away, but I can't! My body just started moving by itself. I didn't know what was going on. I was frightened...

"_You cannot leave, not until you find out the truth._"

Truth? What was _I _talking about?

"Haylie, you're starting to scare us! What's happening to you?!?" My sister sounded scared. But no matter how much I want to say something back, I couldn't. _I _started to walk towards the silver plate on the wall, clutching the key on my hand. I feel like a puppet, deprived of the privilege to move by my own will. I can hear their voices behind me, asking if I'm all right or what's happening to me. And myself, unable to say something back. _I _was going to place the key to the recess. Then, just about when it is going to be placed, something happened...Someone spoke to me.

_It begins..._

_Don't cry..._

It was a girl's voice. Strangely enough, it sounds like me! Then, I saw a little girl standing beside me. But I just saw her briefly, not even enough for me to look at her face.

The key was finally in place in the silver plate. I felt regaining control of my own body. Now, something weird is happening to the wall. I felt someone pull me away from the spot.  
"Haylie, please speak to us!" My sister's eyes were brimming with tears. I could see that she was panicking now.

"LOOK!!!" Gail exclaimed, pointing at the wall.

A brick in the center of the wall quivered-it wriggled-in the middle, a small hole appeared-it grew wider and wider-

Then, a second later, we were facing a gateway. We couldn't see the other side because it was being engulfed in light.

"Oh my-"

"-Freakin' God..."

We stood slack-jawed at the gateway. I held my sister's hand. Her hands felt icy cold & sweaty. Then, I felt a strange sensation. It's like being sucked into it. It became stronger & stronger. The light was already too blinding and I could barely see anything at all.

"OH MY GOD!!! WHAT"S HAPPENING?!?"

I could hear Dawn's shrieks from somewhere, Gail's crying, & my sister's voice calling out to me.

"HAYLIE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'M RIGHT HERE!"

But it's no use. I couldn't see anyone. I felt my feet leaving the ground. I was swaying violently, as the force from the gateway sucked us into its unknown chambers. Then, I heard voices again. One, a male's voice. I recognized whom it belongs to. Frank.

_You'll finally find out the truth..._

_You'll finally find the real reasons..._

_You'll finally find me..._

"What?"

The second, a female's voice. The one I heard before. The one that sounded like mine. But what she said raced into my mind. Once again, I couldn't understand any of it. Everything is starting to fall into darkness...

_This is it..._

_This is your story..._

_It all begins here._


	8. The Meeting Of The Paths

_It all begins here..._

I laid flat in a hard, stony road. My body felt so heavy. I felt so weak. I'm awake, but I can't get up and I can barely open my eyes. My head is pounding, like someone's hitting it with a sledgehammer. Where am I?

I can feel the raindrops falling gently, soaking me wet. I can't hear any splashing footsteps walking by. It was all too silent, only broken by the continuous falling of the rain. I just can't stay lying here until I catch the flu. Come to think of it, I think I already do. My body feels so hot. Nevertheless, I must get up...

No, I can't. My arms seemed too weak to lift me up. Where's Hallie and the others? Are they here too? Suddenly, I heard splashy footsteps running. I also heard a man's voice. He was speaking to himself.

"Oh darn it! Stupid rain! I'm soakin' wet!"

I wanted to call out to him, but I couldn't. I opened my eyes but I can barely see anything. My vision was hazy. I felt a little strength flowing through my body so I used it to stand up. But it was not enough. My vision became blurry again. Then, everything faded into darkness. Again.

"He...lp....unh..."

I fell flat on my back there again. But I felt strong arms lift me up.

"Hey, are ya alright? Hey!"

I opened my eyes, but my vision was blurred again. But I can see the outline of this person's face. The shape of the face was just like-

"Frank?"

"What?"

I extended my hand to touch his face. It felt warm, even though he was drenched with rainwater. I felt his hand on my forehead.

"Oh no, yer burnin' up! I gotta bring ya back to da Lodging House! I'm sure Kloppman'll understand."

He held me tight in his arms. I was pushed back on his chest.

"Warm..."

Then, I fell asleep.

* * *

"Is she going to be alright?"

"I think so. Her temperature isn't that high anymore."

"Oh, thank goodness."

I heard voices speaking. Those voices are very familiar. I opened my eyes and saw my sister and my friends standing there, looks of worry drawn on their faces. I was relieved to see them.

"Hallie..."

She turned her head at my direction, almost too fast for her to crick her neck.

"Haylie, thank goodness you're okay!"

She looked ready to fling her arms around me, but I'm glad she held herself in as my head is still very sore. Instead, she just sat beside me.

"Where...am I?" I asked, looking around the room. I noticed that it's a bunkroom, with maybe a few dozen double deck beds with messy sheets and clothes hanging on each posts. This room looks vaguely familiar to me...

"Well, neither of us will be able to answer that." Dawn said quietly, wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose. I think that she doesn't want to be in this place, judging her extremely vain personality. Even a small speck of dust would make her scream at the top of her lungs.

"Yeah, but we met these guys who helped us. And ya know what? One of them looks exactly like-"

"Shh! Gail! Could we not?!?" Hallie interrupted. One of them looks exactly like who?

"Who is she talking about?" I asked, curiosity overcoming me.

"She is talking about no one." Said Taylor in her usual drawl.

"Is she alright?" a hoarse voice asked from behind.

"Oh yes, Mr. Kloppman, dude. She's fine. The fever's completely gone." Gail said.

Mr. Kloppman is an old man, maybe between the ages 70 or 80 years old. He looks very kind, although I know he could be very strict.

"Glad to hear it. Now you girls could stay here for a while, if you'd like." He said and smiled at us.

"Thanks, sir!" Gail said, beaming. Me and Hallie bowed at him. It is a Japanese custom we've learned from our mother to bow when you're being introduced to someone. It is a sign of courtesy and respect.

"It was very kind of him to let us stay here for while." Hallie said. I just smiled at her. But then, my mind wandered on the subject about who found me and brought me back here.

"Guys, I just wanna know," I said, "does the guy who found me live around here?"

They looked stunned after I said that.

"Umm, we're not sure if he's really the one who found you..." Gail said, looking anxious.

"...but he says that he is." Hallie continued.

Suddenly, a bunch of boys walked into the room.

"So, she's alright now, eh?" one of them said.

"Yeah." Taylor replied abruptly.

I noticed that Dawn's eyes were glued onto a blond boy with glasses. I just remembered that she has a thing for blond guys. She looked very interested in him.

"Are ya feelin' okay now?" the bespectacled blond guy asked.

"Yes, thank you for asking." I replied, bowing my head. He looked at me with a somehow vague expression of weirdness beneath his glasses.

"We're glad dat yer okay!" a black boy said.

"Thank you." I said.

"I'm Boots, by da way. And dat one with da glasses is Dutchy." He said, pointing at the blond bespectacled boy.

Pretty soon enough, every single one of them introduced themselves to us. I tried to find someone who looks like the guy who found me, but...neither of them does. It's time for me to introduce myself to them.

"I'm Haylie. And I'm pretty sure that you already know my sister and my friends." I said. They all nodded to each other. But I'm disappointed that I didn't get to know who was that one who found me lying somewhere.

"What's the matter, Haylie?" my sister asked.

"Nothing, Hallie. Nothing." I said quietly.

"Comin' t'ru! Comin' t'ru!"

"Hey Jack! Where've ya bin?"

"Uh, I tink he was sellin' papes, Mush!"

"Yeah, yeah. So, is da goil alright?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine Jack. I can't believe you found her lyin' in some alleyway!"

Someone made his way through. For some unknown reason, Hallie and the others were looking as if they were dreading something. And there he was, standing right in front of me.

The moment I saw who you really are...made me shiver. That same question haunts me again. Is that...really you? Because the one I'm seeing right now, standing in front of me is you. The one that haunted my dreams. The one I saw in that field in the trance. And the one who bears the eerie resemblance to Frank.

Jack Kelly.


	9. Falling Over Myself

"Hey, what'sa matta? You look like you've seen a ghost."

It feels like I have. But I don't understand what I'm feeling. When I saw Frank's "ghost", I didn't feel anything, not even a little bit of fear. Curiosity and...a sense of longing is what I felt that time. And when I saw this guy in my vision, confusion and maybe, fear. But now, when I saw him standing in front of me, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn't think straight, my hands are all sweaty and shaking, my eyes are on him...It's too much pressure!

"I...I...um...eheheheh...." Okay, now I think I've lost all means of human interaction.

"I'm Jack, by da way." He said, holding out his hand, which I didn't shake since I was too stunned to move.

"Yes, I know-" Oh my God, that was queer.

"What?" he said, looking perplexed. He looks so cute...Okay, please snap out if it! This is supposed to be a serious situation!

"AH! Uhm...eheheh...don't mind what she said, Jack! I think she might be delirious!" My sister said in an unusually high voice that was very much like Gail's.

"Uh, yeah Jack. She might be delirious!" Gail said, repeating the same words Hallie said, also in that unusually high-pitched voice.

"Okay...uhm, what's yer name? He asked, pulling his hand back. I tried to speak in a casual way. But instead, in came out in a horrifyingly embarrassing way.

"I'm Hallie-" Wrong. "-no, I...uh...I mean...She's Hallie..."

"Yes, I think I perfectly know myself, thank you very much." You're not helping, Hallie! That's great. Now, I think I just forgot my own name. I just called myself by my sister's name. Just perfect.

"...I'm...uh..."

"Honey, your name is Haylie, remember? Okay, remember that. Your name is Haylie." Dawn said, stroking my head like I was some kind of a pet. There I was, feeling that I'd rather be anywhere in the world but here. Thanks for the reminder, Dawn. My name is Haylie. I feel queer. Now, let me give you the 5 Golden Rules Of Embarrassment:

1. Lose the ability of human interaction.

2. "I'm Jack, by da way." Say "Yes, I know-"

3. Be delirious.

4. Introduce yourself by your sister's name.

5. Forget your own name, stutter and fall over yourself.

Break a leg! (I know I did...)

"...I'm Haylie." This time, I held out my hand for him to shake. I kind of turned away from him, but I can feel those brown orbs looking at me with great weirdness. I felt his hand gently held mine. His hand feels so warm...

"Well, nice ta meet ya, Hallie." He said, chuckling.

"Hey! I was...I was confused, okay!" I said, feeling a bit annoyed. Hallie and the others (of course, except Taylor) were also giggling.

"That's not very funny, you guys!" I said, feeling myself going red. Pretty soon enough, all of them were laughing at me.

"You're mean!" I said. But you know, thinking about it, it is kind of funny. I felt myself laughing along with them.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

This was almost like the first time I've met Frank. I embarrassed myself in front him and he laughed. At first, I was really angry because he was making fun of me. But, later I laughed along with him. But still, I wonder...does Jack really have a connection with Frank? Nah, I better not think about it for a while.

"Okay, Haylie, I think you should rest now. You're not completely well yet." Hallie said, placing her hand on my forehead. I felt tired anyway. But I just remembered to ask who was the one who found me.

"Um, guys? If I may ask, can you tell me who found me and brought me here?"

Suddenly, Jack stepped forward.

"That'll be me, miss."

I felt myself going red again. I felt immense gratitude for him.

"I...uh...well, thank you very much, Jack."

"Yer welcome." He flashed a smile at me. I couldn't help but melt in front of him. Then again, I gave myself a mental kick in the head.

"When did you found me?"

"Last night when I was in my way home."

I turned to Hallie and the others.

"How about you guys? When did you get here?"

"Just this morning, but we got here last night. We found out from Boots that you were here so we came here."

I don't know but I just have to ask where we really are.

"What is this place called anyway?"

"Oh dis place?" Boots said.

"Dis place is our home." Dutchy replied.

"It's da Newsboys Lodgin' House." Mush said.

I felt my eyes grow wide. No wonder this place feels so familiar. I was here before.


	10. Realization

I have been before! Yes, I remember. This was the place where I found that key, the place where Frank led me into. Speaking of that key, where is it?

"You guys," I turned to Hallie and the others, "where's the key?"

"Actually, we don't know." Gail said, crossing her arms.

"I think we would have left it back there." Hallie said, looking uneasy. I thought about the past events that have happened. I lost control of my body, then I placed the key on a silver plate on a wall with a carving of a clock on its key-shaped recess. Then, the wall just opened up a gateway and we all got sucked into it. After that, we ended up here, which I'm still wondering what place this is. No, wait a minute, those guys...they said that this is a lodging house for newsboys, and Jack Kelly is here...we have been-

"Sent into the past?!?"

"SHHH!!!" Hallie shushed. "Lower your voice! We haven't told them that yet!"

"And how would they supposed to react if we told them that, huh?" Dawn said in a low voice.

'They'll think we're crazy." Taylor said.

"Yeah." Gail said.

I couldn't think straight. How could this be? Is this what Frank wanted? Us being sent in the past? What for? To meet Jack Kelly? Why? My mind is being bombarded with questions, including the ones that haunted me before. I can't take this anymore! I feel like my mind going to explode!

"I can't believe this!" I said, my mind is so unclear right now.

"Neither could we. But now, I suspect that Frank _really_ might have a connection to this Jack Kelly. And we must find what it is." Hallie said with complete indignation.

"_We_? What did you mean by _we_?" Dawn said, her eyebrow raising to the top of the heavens again.

"You really have no use for your mind, have you? This includes you." Taylor said, in an irritated tone.

"I know what she meant, you hag!" Dawn retorted. For God's sake, please not here!

"Whatever." Taylor said, in that bored drawl she always uses.

"Now, what I meant is, before I was _rudely_ interrupted, is I refuse to be involved, okay?" Dawn said, her eyebrow still raised.

"And why is that?" Hallie said, annoyed.

"Well, like, I don't want to be mired in Haylie's drama, okay?"

"Dawn, you are the most insensitive person I've ever had the misfortune to meet! Okay, go ahead, don't help us! But, if we find a way outta here, we'll leave you behind and you'll be stuck here forever. HAH! See if I care!" Hallie said, desperately keeping her voice down. I can't take this anymore. I just have to butt in.

"For God's sake! Will you please stop fighting?" I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes. I just can't stand this fighting.

"We're all friends, right? So, why are we fighting? We're all in this together, so please...stop fighting!"

Hallie, Dawn and Taylor were in deep silence. I can see the boys are looking at us, wondering what's happening. Then, i've just realized that someone is snoring.

"Gail? Gail? What are you do-"

Oh, great. We're having a drama scene here and she's already lying flat on her back and snoring!

"ZZZZZZZZZZ...."

"Knocked out cold." Taylor said, looking at Gail, who was lying in her bed with her mouth open. I can't believe how loud she snores! We can't help but laugh about it.

"Uhm...okay, that was weird. Let's talk about our current situation tomorrow." I said, wiping my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sleepy too. God, it was so silly of us to fight." Hallie said.

Dawn stretched her arms and said, "I'm going to bed too. I really need-"

"Your beauty sleep?" Taylor interrupted.

"Don't you start with me! I wanna go to sleep now!"

"Whatever."

I was about to sleep when I caught Jack looking at me. He was lying on the top bunk under the guy whom I have forgotten his name. He winked and smiled at me. Again, I felt myself turn red. I just smiled at him because that's the only thing I could think of doing. Then, I closed my eyes and let myself drift in the darkness of slumber...

_You're here..._

_At last..._

Huh?

_Now, you will know why..._

_Why you exist..._

Who are you? What are you talking about?

_You'll know the truth about him..._

_Soon..._

Wait! Are you talking about Frank? What? What should I know about him?

_You'll meet me soon..._

_Very soon..._

Who are you?

_You'll know who I am..._

"Who are you?!?"

I woke up with my hands numb with cold, my body all sweaty. I felt the bed shake. It was just my sister jumping down to check on me.

"Haylie! Are you all right?"

She placed her hand on my forehead.

"Your fever's back. Wait here."

She walked towards the faucets and took a bowl of water and a towel. Then, she went back towards my bed. She placed the bowl in the floor and soaked the towel in it. She wiped it all over my body, then wiped me dry with another towel. My head was pounding again. I felt cold, like I was trapped inside a refrigerator. She wrapped me inside a blanket.

"I can't believe your fever's high up again!" She said, beads of sweat sliding down her face.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"I think it's around two in the morning." She said. I noticed that she didn't look at her watch so I asked her about it.

"Oh, umm, my watch has gone haywire, probably because the time here is different." She said. She sat down beside me.

"What happened to you?"

I turned away from her, feeling reluctant to say anything about it. If I told her, then she'd panic again. I'd rather not tell her.

"Nothing, Hallie. It's nothing."

Hallie had a look of suspicion on me.

"Oh. You're a very bad liar, Haylie."

"I mean it, it's nothing."

She just shrugged her arms. I know that she doesn't believe me.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. Now, go to sleep and if your fever's gone tomorrow, we'll go with the newsies all around town and see how different this world is from ours."

"Newsies? Is that what they're called?" I said, curious.

"Yep. Go to sleep."

"Okay."

Then, I went back to sleep. My head still feels like crap, but I still forced myself to think. I can't believe we're here. In New York, 1899.


	11. Strangers

I woke up that morning with my fever completely gone and feeling refreshed. The boys are getting ready for work, as they go and take a bath, wash their faces and shave, then bid goodbye to Mr. Kloppman and out the door. We had to borrow some of their clothes since ours wouldn't do us any good at all. (Dawn, once again, held a protest against this. And, as usual, Taylor put a stop to it and she was forced to give in.) Hallie was completely fascinated of the old New York City. She kept looking around everywhere like a tourist on a vacation. On the way, we passed by vendors hawking their wares, a hurdy-gurdy man, grinding a tune, and a pretzel man, whom Jack graciously accepts a pretzel from. He offered it to me, but I chose the option to refuse. I think he needs it more than I do, although I'm feeling a little hungry. We passed by nuns who were giving rations for poor street children. We lined up with boys to get food. I saw Dawn's expression that she does NOT want to eat that. She has no choice, though. It's the only source of we got this time. Finally, we reached our destination. It was what the newsies call "The Newsies Square", home of Newspaper Row and The World headquarters. 'The World'...hmm, wait, I remember this...oh yeah, this was owned by Joseph Pulitzer. I can hear Hallie muttering something. I looked at her and saw that she was staring at the tall building of The World headquarters, her eyes gleaming with great interest.

"...by 1886, The World's circulation had risen from 20,000 to 250,000. In 1887..."

Okay, she's freaking me out. She's doing a very good impersonation of Hermione. Oh yeah, all she ever does on her spare time was read. I think what she's muttering came from a Collier's Encyclopedia.

"Well, goils, heah we are! This is the distribution where we get our papes." Mush said to us. Hallie nodded, Dawn ignored him, Taylor looked bored, and Gail was looking somewhere else.

"Hey, who are those two?" she asked.

Two grumpy-looking men are walking towards our direction. By the looks on their faces, they looked that they are not to be trusted around children.

"Well, look what we have heah! Da Delancey bruddas!" Racetrack said, a tone that I thought was kind of insulting was present in the way he spoke. One of them was looking at me and Hallie maniacally.

"Hey sweetcheeks! What's yer name?" he asked. I backed away from him with haste.

"Oooh, I like dat in a goil. She refuses but I know she wants me." Uh, excuse me? I backed away a little more. He's starting to scare me. I heard my friends and Hallie sniggering.

"That's nice." I said, feeling revolted.

"I could get used to this." He said, moving a little closer to me.

"Let's not." I walked away from but I felt a hard grip on my hand.

"Wanna go out on a date wid me?" he said, a malicious grin across his face.

"Hey, leave me alone!" I said, trying to free myself from his grip.

"Leave my sister alone, you freak!" I heard my sister shout at him.

"Leave her alone, Oscar." I heard a voice spoke. It came from Jack, who just arrived. Oscar turned around and faced him. His brother also did the same.

"And what'cha gonna do 'bout it, Cowboy?" Oscar said in a cocky tone. He's starting to get on my nerves.

"Yeah, what'cha gonna do 'bout it?" His brother repeated the same question. He, too, is starting to irritate me. Jack just crossed his arms and looked at them mischievously, his lips curving into a devilish grin.

"THIS!" In a fraction of a second, Jack snatched the brothers' hats off their heads. Enraged, the Delancey brothers chased him around the square. I watched in awe as he evaded them swiftly. The other newsies are cheering him on.

"Yeah! Go get 'em Cowboy!"

"Get 'em Jack!"

"WAHOO!"

Hallie and the others were also watching. I heard Gail cheering him on too.

"Get 'em dude! Yeah! Get 'em! What'cha gonna do, Delanceys, huh? BOO!"

Dawn looked at him in that way that made me feel uneasy. It was almost flirtatious. Taylor just watched without a single expression. No cheers, no jeers, nothing. Just the plain, old "just-leave-me-alone-and-no-gets-hurt" look. While he was running, though, he shot a gleaming smile and a wink at me. I think I blushed again. A memory just rushed in my mind. When boys try to bully me, Frank was always there to teach them a lesson. Then, he'd always go home with cuts on his lips and bruises on his arms. I told him that he really doesn't have to beat them up, but he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't listen...

"You're dead, Cowboy!"

"We'll kill ya!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

The Delanceys were finished chasing Jack. Exhausted, they went inside the Distribution Center. We followed the boys as they lined up for their papers.

"You look a tad flushed, boys! Why not stop to catch yer breath?" Racetrack mocked them.

"Shut up, you!" Oscar bellowed.

And Gail just couldn't resist the temptation to laugh.

"Ah ha ha ha! Losers!"

Then, she flashed a 'Loser' sign on her forehead with her hand. The brothers looked at her angrily, but she just pouted her tongue at them and smirked. Jack headed the line and knocked at the wooden board that covered the window behind the counter.

"Hey, Mr. Weasel! We'se heah!"

The wooden board was lifted and emerged an old fat man with gray hair, an unpleasant expression on his face, and a disappearing neck. He looked very much unhappy to see Jack.

"Whaddaya want?!?"

"Our papes, Weasel." Jack said, but I saw him mutter something after that. I read the movements of his lips. I think he said "Ya silly old man!" after that.

"How long do I have to suffer being called 'Weasel'?" he said. I think he was getting annoyed. Actually, I'm wondering if that's his real name. His mother must have not loved him if he was really named 'Weasel'.

"Try forever, _Weasel_!" Jack teased. The boys laughed.

"Arrgh! It's Mr. Weasel to you!" Okay, now _he _just called himself Weasel. This made the boys laugh harder.

"I meant 'Weisel', you idiots! Get your lousy papes, Cowboy and go away!" Jack slapped a coin on the counter, grabbed his papers and walked away with a triumphant sneer. Racetrack was next on the line.

"Mornin' yer honor! Listen, can ya let me off for this time? I got a..."

Pretty soon, all of them got their papers. We were about to walk out of the gates when Mr. Weisel (that's his real name) called us back.

"Hey, hey! Girls! You're not going to buy papes?"

We just looked at each other, then looked at him. Hallie answered his question.

"Umm, no, Mr.Weasel, oops, I mean, Mr. Weisel, we're not."

"Why not? Aren't you with these boys?"

"Yes, we are. But we're not really newsgirls."

"Nonsense! Come here, buy your papes!"

Okay, why is he urging us to buy papers? I hope he's not going to do something to us. We walked shyly towards the counter. I think we are accidentally hired as newsgirls now. Well, Hallie is all up for it. I can see that she wants to experience how people live at this time. But I can feel an outburst from Dawn.

"Newsgirls? I don't want to be a newsgirl! Like, no way losers! I am Dawn Madison! I DO NOT DO CHILD LABOR! I think I'm gonna have a B.F.!"

What's a B.F.? A boyfriend? A best friend? A-

"It's 'bitch fit', if you're wondering what it is." Gail whispered.

Taylor cracked her knuckles.

"You wanna have a B.F.? May I suggest H.F.?"

Now, what the heck is that?

"It's 'hurtfest', if you're wondering what it is." Gail whispered to me again.

"How do you know all these?" I asked, looking at her curiously.

"Well, being the referee of all recorded catfights between Dawn and Taylor, I've heard it from them so many times." She said with a childish grin. Oh. That's really interesting.

"How many?" I heard Mr. Weisel say. I turned at his direction and saw Hallie ready to purchase newspapers. She looked confused, though.

"I...ah...eh...I don't know." She turned to Jack, who said, "I'll take care of it." I've noticed that everyone was gone. They have already gone to sell their papers and we're the only ones left.

"100 papes, Weasel." He said and he dug deep inside his pocket and took a dime. He gave it to Weasel. Then, he gave us each five newspapers. That made me think. That was the only money that he had. Losing a dime here would already be a great loss.

"Umm, Jack, you should have let me pay for my own! Here, I'll pay it back." I took my wallet out, took two dollars from it and gave it to him. He looked surprised.

"No, I can't take this, Haylie."

"It's okay. It's only two dollars." I said, closing his hand with the two-dollar bills inside. I gave him a smile and he smiled back. Next thing I know, I can't break away from his eyes. I feel like I was being magnetized to him. His brown eyes looked so beautiful that I can't break the eye contact between us.

"Uh, guys? What are you doing? Come on, let's go!" Suddenly I heard Gail's small voice speak. It was then that I was able to break free from his stare.

"Hey, you look beet red!" Gail shouted. Is it really necessary for you to say it?!?

"Haylie's blushing! Haylie's blushing!" she continued in a sing-song voice. I think I'm going to die right here! I was trying to give a message to Hallie through eye contact. I was like "Shut her up! Shut her up!", but I think she doesn't get it. We followed Jack through the whole square. He gave us tips on how to sell the newspapers.

"Okay, da foist thing dat you gotta learn is dat 'Headlines don't sell papes. Newsies sell papes!'" he said, sounding like he was a complete expert at this job. Wait a minute, what am I talking about? Of course, he is.

"What does that mean?" Dawn asked, still annoyed about the fact that she has to work.

"Well, sometimes da headlines are no good. Us newsies have ta improvise." Jack explained.

"Which means?" I asked.

"Improvin' da truth." He said. Improving the truth? That means-

"You mean _lying_?" my sister said, looking horrified.

"Yep."

"That's horrible! Making up things!" Hallie retorted. Well, that means that I'll be really bad at this job. According to my sister, I'm a very poor liar.

"Well, it's da only we can make money, goils. You in or out?"

We took our time to think.

"What do you think, guys? Should we give it a go?" Hallie asked.

"Who freakin' cares?!? Let's go and do this thing!" Gail said.

"No! We have to think about this! Okay, should we do it?"

"If you ask me, I don't wanna do this." Dawn said.

"Well, no one asked you, Dawn." Taylor sneered.

"Talk to the hand with the perfectly manicured fingernails, Taylor!" Dawn retorted, holding up her hand. And as usual, Taylor acted like she didn't hear anything.

"I think we should do it, you guys." I said. Wait, I didn't mean to say that!

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Well, I hope this goes well. We sold the papers we have. Although I only have twenty newspapers, I sold them so badly. Who is that great genius who came up with a head line like "Trolley Strike On Wheels!", huh? Me! I sold dismally because not one single thing I've said to try and convince people to buy newspapers worked. At lunch, I still have ten unsold papers, so I used my money to eat. We went to a restaurant called Tibby's. Gail was really surprised when she saw the prices of the food.

"Whoa! Those are cheap! Five cents! I'm getting high on caffeine!"

"Hey, you're not allowed to drink coffee!"

"Oh man!"

We ate heartily along with the newsies. Well, I guess you could call us newsies now, too. While we were eating, one of them spoke to us.

"Well now, can we know 'bout you goils, then?"

"What?"

"You. All five of you. Where did'ja come from?

I felt stunned and surprised as my friends and Hallie looked like. What are we supposed to do? What are we supposed to say? The truth? Or a lie?

"I...w-well...w-w-we...um..." Hallie stuttered. I caught her eye. I think I got what she was trying to say.

"We...uh..."I know what was Hallie going to do. She was going to put on a British accent.

"Actually, we came from jolly old England." She said in a British accent. Well, having a father who is British have its advantages. Like, for example, learning his British accent.

"Oh yes, we perfectly have." I said, using the British accent. I don't know if the others know how to do it. It'll be better if they wouldn't speak.

"But, you had American accents before." Mush said, looking puzzled.

"Oh, we have learned how to use an American accent perfectly, you know." I said. I feel like getting used to my British accent.

"It is very convincing, isn't it?" Hallie said, taking a sip of coffee in a very British way.

"Veeeeerrrryyyy convincing." Jack said. I looked at him and felt horrified. I think he doesn't believe all the fronting we're doing. I turned away from him.

"Well, how do ya explain da weird clothes you were wearing?" Racetrach asked.

"Those are costumes we've tried out." Dawn said, surprisingly in a British accent. She's pretty good. And very convincing indeed.

...Okay, I think I'm starting to think in a very British manner now. I better act it out until I can.

"Aren't they absolutely gorgeous?" Dawn continued. The newsies nodded weirdly.

"Well, there you have it. That is our story." Then, in British fashion, me and Hallie took a sip of coffee with our pinkies raised and lifting the saucer to ensure that there will be no spills from our cups. Well, it could have gone very smoothly, if it wasn't for Gail.

"Hey, Gail. What's dat yer holdin'?" Crutchy asked curiously.

We turned at her direction and saw Gail playing with her Game Boy Advance. BOOM. Our cover was blown.

"Okay, now, how do ya explain dat?"

We looked at Gail, feeling a bit angry and we just fell silent. She took notice of this and shut the GBA off.

"Umm, uh...did I just do something wrong?" she said, blinking innocently. We nodded.

"What?!?"


	12. Where We Came From

It was a hard task, explaining to them that Gail's GBA was just nothing. We tried to convince them that it was just junk that Gail picked up somewhere. But the damage was already done. The newsies are completely fascinated with it and kept taking turns on looking at it. Gail still thinks that she didn't do anything wrong and kept blinking innocently, like a little baby staring at you from a crib. Nice going, Gail!

"But I said I'm sorry!" Gail said, in her kid-like voice.

"That's not enough! How are we supposed to explain that, huh? Now, we have to tell them the whole truth!" Dawn said, her voice shaking with anger.

"But what's the deal with that? It's not important if we came from a different time, is it?!?"

"Yes, it is Gail! They might not even believe us! They'll think we're crazy!"

"Well, screw them if they do!"

Hallie cut in their fighting. I think she knows how to handle this one.

"Okay, umm, well, the only thing we can do is..."

She took a moment to think. The seconds became minutes. The minutes became five, six, seven, eight, nine...

"Well, tell them the truth." Wow, it takes ten minutes to come to a conclusion and say that we will have to tell the newsies the truth.

"No way out, huh?" I said, crossing my arms. Hallie took a long deep breath.

"Yes. That's the only way."

"See, this is all your fault!" Dawn shouted at Gail, who was looking really guilty now. I feel really sorry for her. Well, she said she was sorry about it and it wasn't intentional of her to be playing with her Game Boy in front of the newsies.

"Hey, stop it already, Dawn!" I said, in defense of Gail. "She said she was sorry, so why are you still fighting with her? Stop it, and apologize to her."

"Yeah, you big meanie!" Gail said, clicking her tongue at Dawn and hiding behind me. Dawn looked reluctant to apologize to her, but she did.

"Well, that settles it. Now, come on, you guys. Let's break it to the guys the real truth." I said. We all walked inside the Lodging House, passing by the reception desk where Kloppman is seated, reading a newspaper. We just said hello to him and he smiled back, then back into reading the newspaper. We ascended the staircase, walked inside the room where we found all the newsies sitting in their bunk beds. They stared at us weirdly, and we can't help it but not look at them. Jack jumped off his bed and walked towards us.

"Well, look who's heah. Da goils from jolly old England." Neither of us can't look at him straight in the eye.

"American accents, huh? Well, I don't buy it." He continued, walking back and forth, looking at us. Then, I felt his eyes on me.

"Well, Haylie. Why don'tcha tell us da truth den, huh?" I gathered all the courage to speak back.

"As if you're so honest!"

"Haylie! I'll take care of this." My sister stepped up to him, looking nervous.

"Okay, we're not from England. We're not even from anywhere around here, well, kind of."

"Whaddaya mean?" Racetrack spoke.

"If we told you where we're really from, you won't even believe us." Dawn said.

"You'll think we have a few screws loose from our heads." Gail added.

We all took a deep breath as we are about to tell them the truth.

"We are...from...the future." I spoke in an almost whisper.

"What's dat?" one of the newsies spoke.

"WE'RE FROM THE FREAKIN' FUTURE!!! THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!?" Gail shouted, her voice sounded higher than usual. The reaction from the newsies were, of course, what we have expected.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!!!!"

They all laughed.

"Hey! It's true! We are from the future!" Gail said, looking red. But they just kept laughing like hyenas.

"Aha...came from...came from da fut'cha...ahahah..."

"Dat's a good one! I...I can't breathe...ahahahaha....Da fut'cha!"

We felt really embarrassed. I felt like I was shrinking in humiliation. They are so mean! They wanted to know the truth, we told them, and this is what happened! The laughter was still unbroken, well, until Taylor already broke it when she broke a chair in front of them with her fists.

"Are you just going to keep laughing or are you ready to listen? Because, you know, I feel a hurtfest coming on. I assure you, you don't want one!" Her knuckles kept cracking nastily. Of all those times we've hung out with her, I still don't very much about her. This is the second time I've seen her in a mad rage. I heard from her fellow students from her last school that whenever she's angry, she breaks something with unbelievable force. One of them even said that a guy was hospitalized because of her. And I heard that the guy was even larger than her! What a scary thought. This made the newsies fall silent, and us, as well. I feel like my heart's gonna burst out of my chest. Now I know that this is how scary Taylor is, and she's probably more than that. As for me, I'm not willing to see her in that state.

"Well, uh...that was...uh, weird. So, I think you're now ready to listen." Hallie said, beads of sweat sliding down her pale white cheeks. I saw the newsies just nodded. As Hallie kept explaining about us, I looked at Jack, who was looking very interested in what she was saying. And so were the other boys. I feel like they're finally going to believe us.

"So, you goils are really tellin' us da truth?" Mush said, a look of innocence on his face. He looks quite cute if you look at him this way.

"Uh, yeah. So, do you guys believe us now?" Hallie said.

"Yes!" The newsies said altogether. After that, they started to ask question about us and our own time. They were like little kindergarten kids who likes to keep asking questions. It's really quite adorable. Gail showed them how to play with the Game Boy Advance. They couldn't get the hang of it. It's funny how they tried to remember what button to press when you want to jump, or what button to press when you want to attack an enemy. Dawn showed them her mobile phone (A Nokia 6600) to them. It was going haywire, though. But, think she was still able to access the Camera option. She took a picture of all the newsies, who were staring at it weirdly. The outcome was a funny picture with all of them having weird expression on their faces. I noticed that she keeps taking pictures of Dutchy when he's not looking. Hmm...

And Jack? Well, he went up to the rooftop. I wondered why, so I followed him up there. I saw him sitting on the ledge, looking at the orange sunset.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said, admiring it.

"Yeah, it is. Do you get sunsets like dese, well, in da, uh...fut'cha?" He stuttered. I think he now feels weird talking to me, since he found out I'm from the future. I just laughed and said, "A lot, I guess."

Then, I leaned on the ledge and looked at him. In this point of view, the sunset's faint light enhances his good looks furthermore, making me remember about Frank again.

"You know, you really _do_ look like him." I said. Oh gosh, I shouldn't have said that!

"What?" he said, turning to look at me. I hope he didn't completely hear that.

"Oh, uh...it's...it's nothing. Don't mind me. I sometimes talk to myself." What a queer answer.

"Haha, you know what? Yer really weird, fut'cha goil." He said, giving me that smile I used to see in Frank. It's really painful to keep remembering him, when I try so hard to forget about him.

"What's wrong? Did I say somethin'?" he asked.

"No, you didn't say anything." I said quietly. Then, he went back on looking at the sunset. Any minute it'll disappear.

"You know, Haylie?" he spoke, still looking at the sunset. I turned at him to listen.

"You kinda remind me of someone, but I couldn't remember who it is."

What Jack said surprised me a bit. I think I know who that someone is. I was about to say her name, but...

_Don't tell him..._

A voice in my head spoke to me.

_Not yet..._

_He must not know anything yet..._

It held me back. I don't if I should obey it, but...

"Why couldn't you remember?" I asked instead. I chose to obey the voice.

" I...dunno. It feels like I've lost somethin'...or someone, but I really have no memory 'bout it." Jack answered back. There was this look on his face that was a mix of loneliness and confusion. But suddenly, he just smiled.

"Did'ja ever had a dream, Haylie?"

"About what?" Yes, about what? About you? Or Frank?

"A dream, like, goin' somewhere away from heah." He said.

"No, I haven't, really." I said.

"Well, I, uh, I have always dreamed goin' to Santa Fe, you know?" Santa Fe? Wait a minute...

"Why, what for?" I asked curiously.

"Well, my parents are dere, looking for a place ta live, you know? As soon as dey find da right ranch, dey're gonna send fer me. And...I've always wanted to be a cowboy." He said, a dreamy smile on his face. Cowboy...so that's why he has that...red bandanna. Memories flashed on my head again. A memory of Frank, wearing his red bandanna, and we kept on laughing about it...Frank riding on a horse...he's very good at it...me riding on it, holding on to him so I wouldn't fall off...

"Hey Jack," I said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"You know...memories are nice, but...that's just what they are." I said, the pain of those memories rushed through me again.

"Yeah...yeah, I know."

I was already feeling a bit cold. The sun has already disappeared from view. I was also feeling ver uneasy now.

"Let's go in. It's getting cold." I said.

"Okay. Come on."

And we walked towards the door. Somehow, I don't know if I'm going to be glad that I met him or...never mind. I still can't believe that this happened. Then, that vision I saw before flashed into my mind again. The Field of Souls. That was the first time I have seen Jack with my own eyes, or something like that. I remembered that picture I found in Frank's house. It was torn in half. I wonder who did that? And, that Selene...who is she? What does she have to with Jack? Does she have also something to do with Frank? I gotta find out what...no matter what happens.


	13. Just Whistle

It'll be our second day here in 1899. But, it was a very bad day for me to wake up into. I woke up late, but that's not the only reason.

"Oh, I-I am so sorry!!! I'll get ready right away!"

I rushed from here to there, trying in vain to go ahead on a rush getting ready. I've put on my clothes, put on my socks, and laced up my shoes. (I've borrowed a pair from one of them.)

"I am very sorry!" I kept bowing at them, showing how sorry I am from waking up late. But the girls and the newsies were looking at me with what I have suspected...muffled laughter.

"What? What is it?"

"Well, uh...ppfftt...Haylie, um, your hair..." Hallie sniggered. Why? What's wrong with my...oh no! I rushed to the mirror. And there it was...the horror, the horror...

"BED HAIR!" My hair was sticking up everywhere! I look like I've been mauled by someone! I can hear them laughing.

"He-hey! You're mean! It's not very funny, you guys!"

And Taylor, I can see her laughing as well.

"Taylor...you too?!?"

"Well, as soon as Haylie fixes up her hair, I think we can go." They all laughed again.

"You're all so mean!" I feel a bit annoyed. How mean they could be! I fixed up my hair. And finally, it's not the frizzy look of being out of bed anymore. As we were walking towards the Newsies Square, I thought of something.

"Hey guys, do you think we should have a 'newsie nickname'?" I've been thinking about it, and it seemed kinda cool if have one. I wonder if they'll approve?

"Why? What for?" Hallie asked.

"Well, I thought it'll be kinda neat if we all have one like the boys." I said.

"Yeah! I agree, you guys!" Gail said gleefully. I turned at Jack and asked his own opinion about it.

"Well, it's up to you if you wanna have one." He said. The other newsies nodded.

"Well, okay...let's think about it, you guys." I said. We took our time on the way to the distribution center. Hmm...I wonder what'll be good for me?

"Have you guys already thought about yours?" I asked.

"Oooh, I already have one! Okay, from now on, you shall call me...'Flips'!" Gail said, looking very proud of herself.

"Dat's nice, Gail!" Mush said. "Why 'Flips'?"

"Well, 'coz I can do this!" Gail executed a series of gymnastic moves. I think it goes on this sequence: Front hand spring, cartwheel, backhand spring, then another backhand spring, and a full twisting layout. Mind you, I learned all those terms from Gail. She's a hardcore gymnast. The boys looked mighty impressed, especially Mush and Pie Eater.

"Nice ones, Gail! Yer da foist goil I've met dat can do all of dat!" Mush said, clapping his hands.

"Thanks dude!" Gail said, blushing a little bit. Pie Eater patted her on the back. Gail looks pretty close to them both. Well, I think, probably everyone else. It seems that the newsies like her very much. It's very nice to think about it.

"Okay, your turn guys! Give out your names!" Gail said, grinning widely.

"My NN will be...'Gemstone'." Dawn said, flipping her hair.

"Okay...uh, why?" Gail asked.

"Well, 'coz according to my parents, I am their _gemstone_ and I'm precious to them. So I think that suits me, like, so perfectly!" She said. Okay, that's...uh, something.

"Ooookkkaayyy...how 'bout you, Taylor?" Gail asked, turning at her. She looked reluctant to join in.

"Do I really have to?"

"Oh come on, Taylor! Get with the program!" Hallie said. We waited for her to speak up. I think she deserves a little bit of fun once in a while. She's too gloomy. At last, a devilish grin spread across her mouth and spoke up.

"'Demon Eyes'." She said. Umm, her nick's kinda scary...

"What?!? As in '_Demon Eyes Kyo_'?" Gail looked at her, a mix of innocence and fear shone on her eyes.

"Who frickin' who?" Taylor said, looking irritated. Why she chose to name herself 'Demon Eyes' is a complete mystery to us. Her eyes are scary when she's mad, but demonic isn't really what you call it. It's our turn to give out our nickname. I haven't decided yet! I pulled my sister to a spot where we can talk out of earshot from them.

"I haven't thought of anything yet!"

"Well, neither have I!"

"Hmm...how about we use Japanese words for nicks?"

"Why?"

"So we can be different and unique from them."

"Okay, that's a good idea."

I thought of all things Japanese I could think of and come up with. Oh, what am I gonna pick?

_Yume..._

Yume? That means 'dream'...Hey, that seems to be okay. I think it suits me, with all these dreams I've been having. 'Yume'...I think that's it.

"I've decided. It'll be 'Yume'." I said to Hallie. I think that she already came up with her own nickname too.

"Okay. I'll be 'Negai'." She said. It means 'wish' in English. Hmm, 'wish' huh? Does she have one? I wonder...

"Have you guys already decided on what to call yourselves?" Gail said. Oops, I think they have been waiting for too long.

"Uh, yeah. I'll be 'Yume'-"

"And I'll be 'Negai'."

The girls looked at us approvingly and, of course, the newsies didn't understand.

"That's neat! You two are the only ones with Japanese nicks!" Gail squealed. Dawn and Taylor (surprisingly!) smiled at us.

"What does dat mean?" Jack asked. He has this puzzled look that made me stare at him again. He looks really cute.

"'Yume'? Oh, it means 'dream'. It's a Japanese word." I replied.

"Yoo-mey? It sounds weird." He said, mispronouncing it.

"No, no. It's pronounced 'you-meh'. Now, you try."

"You-"

"Yes, go on."

"-meh. 'Yume'."

"Yes, that's it."

It's kind of fun teaching him how to pronounce 'Yume' correctly. It has made me remember about him again. I taught Frank to speak Japanese. He couldn't get the hang of it. He keeps mispronouncing words...I can't take this anymore! Every time he comes into my mind, I feel the pain. I don't want to feel this anymore. I'm so tired of it.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Jack looked at me and asked. I shook my head.

"No, it's nothing."

"Oh. Come on, let's get our papes."

We walked inside the distribution center and lined up. Soon, it was our turn to get our papers.

"How many, uh, what's yer name?" Mr. Weisel asked. I decided to use my newsie nickname.

"My name is Yume, sir."

"Yoo-mey? Now that's a weird name! So, how many?"

"50, sir."

"Okay, 50 fer, uh, what's that again?"

"Yume."

"50 fer Yoo-mey! Next!" Next in line was my sister. It also went the same. Weisel also mispronounces her nick.

"What, nee-gay?"

"It's Negai, sir."

"Whatever. How many?"

It was kind of difficult to have a Japanese newsie nickname. But it's funny how people mispronounce it.

"Well, Yume, do you wanna sell wid me?" Jack offered to help me with my dismal selling problem. I tried to refuse, because the others don't have the experience as well, and I think that they should come too.

"I...uh...well, Hallie and the others should also come. They don't have experience in selling papers too." But it looks like they were plotting something.

"Oh no, we're fine Jack. We're fine. We'll sell with the other guys instead. Haylie needs your guidance in this one, Jack. She really sucks at it!" Hey, I know I do! You're mean!

"Well, uh...okay. C'mon, let's go, Haylie." He took my hand and we started to walk away. I looked back at Hallie and the others. They were waving at me and kept blinking their eyes in a very annoying way.

"'Bye, Haylie! Have fun!" Hallie mouthed these words. I clicked my tongue at them.

"I hate you guys!" I whispered. It came out as a loud hiss.

We went to a place where there was lots of people. They kept bumping at me, shoving me off their way. How rude! But I can feel Jack's hand holding my hand very tightly and never letting go. I feel very secured.

"See, dis is where you should be sellin' papes, Haylie." He said, still not letting go of my hand. I just nodded.

"Oh, uh, we shouldn't be tawkin' heah. Dere's too many people." We walked towards a larger space in the road to avoid the hustle and bustle of the crowds.

" I hope we don't get separated. It's a lot of people down there." I said, looking at the thick crowds of people.

"Okay, I'll teach ya somethin'." He put his fingers on his mouth and let out a whistle.

"Do ya knows how ta whistle?"

Come to think of it, no. I never tried to learn to whistle. Hallie said it's inappropriate.

"No, I don't."

"Umm, heah, I'll show ya. Put yer two fingers like dis in yer mouth."

"Like...this?" I said, my voice muffled because of my fingers on my mouth.

"No, like this." He put his fingers on his mouth again and blew out a whistle. I tried to do the same.

"Like this?"

"Yeah, and den just blow." I followed his instructions. But what came out wasn't a whistle. It was just a wet whoosh of wind from my mouth. He chuckled.

"It's not working." I said, feeling a bit stupid.

"Ahh, don't worry. You'll learn how ta whistle. Just woik on it." I nodded. Then, he looked at me and said, "If we should gets separated, just whistle, 'kay? Then, I'll come runnin', I promise."

"Yes, sir!"

He took my hand again and we walked through the crowd. With him, I got a little better in selling my newspapers. (only because he made up the headlines for me.) I wanted to try this own my own and be able to sell it on my own. I spotted a kind-looking man with short flaming red hair and a rather large body standing outside a small shop. He was wearing a white shirt, a vest and necktie. I approached him and tried to sell my newspaper to him.

"Good morning, mister. Wanna buy a newspaper?"

"Oh, uh, okay, miss." He said without taking a single look at me. He dug deep inside his pockets and took his wallet from it.

"How much?" He asked, rummaging his wallet.

"Only a penny." I said and took a newspaper and gave it to him."

"Oh, thanks, mi-" Suddenly, he looked weird. His face was ashen. He was staring at me with his rather small brown eyes widening.

"Mi...mi...milady! Wh-what are you doing here?!?" The, he kneeled and bowed at me, like I was some kind of a princess or something.

"E-excuse me?"

"Oh I can't believe it! Lu, come here! The Lady's here!!!" He kept kneeling down and bowing his head. It was becoming more and more embarrassing now.

"Pl-please stand up! Who, or what are you talking about?!?"

"Lucille!!! Come! She's here! She's here! She finally awake!"

Suddenly, a woman came rushing out the door of the small shop. She has wavy long jet-black hair tied up with a bun, bangs covering her left eye and she was wearing a black dress. She looked scary and reminded me of Taylor.

"What is it, Walter?" she said, her voice sounding very mysterious.

"She's here! She's here! Can't you see?!? She's here!" This man called Walter kept bowing down at me. I feel very embarrassed now. The woman looked at me. For a second, she looked surprised to see me. But, it didn't last long.

"It's not her, Walter." She said, looking a bit disappointed.

"Whaddaya mean it's not her?!? Look at her!"

"Stand up, Walter. It's not her. It's impossible. She can't be awake now."

"But.."

"It's not her, Walter. Now go inside."

Walter stood up (finally.) and walked inside the shop, looking disappointed. The woman's mysterious brown eyes looked at me from head to toe.

"It's true. You do look like her. But something seems to be a little off."

"Excuse me, but who..." I tried to ask, but she wouldn't answer that. She just looked at me.

"Excuse my husband. He's a little...strange." She said.

"That's okay."

"I'm Lucille, and that oaf is my husband."

"I'm Haylie. It's very nice to meet you." I said, and bowed at her. At my surprise, she bowed back.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Haylie." She said, her voice sounding mysterious than before. Then, I remembered that Walter forgot to take his paper.

"Oh, um, your husband bought a paper from me and forgot to take this." I handed her the newspaper, and she took it.

"Thank you."

"Well, I...I gotta be going now." I said, bidding goodbye to her.

"Alright. It was nice meeting you, Haylie." She said and bowed again. I smiled and bowed back. I ran off to find Jack. Well, I have to practice whistling now. I can't find him. But that's not what bothers me. It's how that man, Walter, acted in front of me. He kept calling me "Milady". But his wife Lucille told him that I'm not what he thinks I am. Who did he mistook me from?


	14. First Love

Okay, this chapter is based on Utada Hikaru's song "First Love". Just read on and see why. :D

* * *

I couldn't find Jack, but I got a little better in whistling. I practiced on the way. I sold all my newspapers quickly and went back to the Lodging House. The others were already there. I noticed that Hallie was looking happier than usual. 

"What's up with you?" I asked. But it seems like she didn't hear anything.

"Hey, earth to Hallie? Are you there? We're down here at Earth!!! Where are you? In Pluto?" Gail shook Hallie by the shoulders. That worked.

"Huh?" She stared at us and blinked innocently.

"What is wrong with you?" we asked. She blinked innocently again. It doesn't suit her to be this way.

"Oh, nothing. Just, uh, thinking about something."

"Okay...yeah. Well, good luck thinking." Gail said and slumped back into her bed and started playing with the GBA again. I just smiled and went on to change my clothes. I think my own clothes are ready to wear now, even though it'll generate a few weird stares from the boys. My skirt's a wee bit short for them. (a little bit above the knee. Or maybe a lot, I guess) But I think the shirt's okay. It has three-fourth's sleeve anyway. Gosh, we should think of buying our own clothes now. But we don't have enough money. Almost all of it has gone to the newspapers and our food. Oh, Jack has just arrived. He looked really flushed. Probably tired from running. But, why was he running? He didn't have to run home, does he?

"Has...has...has..." Jack was trying to catch his breath, barely unable to speak.

"Has...Haylie come home? I can't find her."

"Uh, Jack? I'm right here." I said. He turned fast at my direction and clutched my shoulders hard. Ow, he has a strong grip!

"Where have ya been?!? I've been lookin' fer ya everywhere! I told ya not ta stray away from me, didn't I?" Gosh, he really looked worried...how sweet.

"I-I...I'm really sorry, Jack." I said quietly.

"Dat's okay. Least ya didn't get hoit out dere. Well, uh...I just got worried, dat's all." I don't know if I was imagining it, or did he just blush?

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you let go of me now? You're hurting me."

"OH!"

He finally let go. Ouch! That hurts!

"Sorry."

"It's fine, really."

For a very awkward moment, both of us fell silent and unable to say anything. I caught everyone's eyes and they had this mischievous looks on their faces. Hey, this doesn't mean anything!

...Does it?

_

* * *

Haylie..._

What? Who's...

_It's me..._

Frank? Where, where are you?

_Do you remember?_

Remember what?

_Do you remember everything?_

About what?

_About this..._

_A little girl of about seven sits in a swing, all alone and feeling left out. A young boy of nine approaches her and talks to her._

_"Hey, what's your name?"_

_"Huh? Oh, I'm Haylie."_

_"I'm Frank. Nice to meet you."_

_"Nice to meet you too."_

_The little girl bows at him, making him feel weird._

_"Why did just bow at me?"_

_"Oh, it's a custom for us to bow at people when being introduced. It's a sign of respect."_

_"Wow. That's very nice. Where are you from?"_

_"Japan."_

_"Japan? I went there once, you know?"_

_"Really? What did you think of it?"_

_"It's very nice. I'd like to go there again."_

_"Really? Why don't we go together? I'll be having my summer vacation there!"  
"Okay!"_

_It was Christmas. Both of them, along with their friends were opening their presents._

_"Hey, c'mon, Haylie! What is this you got for me?"_

_"It's a surprise! It wouldn't be if I told you about it."_

_"No fair!"_

_The boy opens his present hastily. As soon as he did, he looked quite happy._

_"A cowboy hat! And a pair of pistols! Wow! Thanks Haylie!"  
"You're welcome."_

_"Oh, here, I got something for you."_

_He gives her a small package. _

_"What's this?" _

_"Open it. It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you about it."_

_"A-a necklace?!? Why? Uh...I-I can't accept this! This must have cost you a lot!"_

_"Oh, I'm not taking it back! I spent all my allowance to buy that!"_

_"But-"_

_"No buts! Here, let me put it on you."_

_The little girl was being picked on by a group of boys. The boy steps in and defends her._

_"Hey, leave her alone!"_

_"What are you gonna do about it, Frankie-boy?"_

_"Yeah, what are you gonna do about it?"_

_  
The boy punches him in the stomach. They started running after him. Night falls and the boy comes back with lots of cuts and bruises._

_"You didn't have to do that! Look what happened to you..."_

_"It's okay, as long as they don't hurt you."_

_Two years have passed, the girl was going to confess what she really feels for him. She goes to his house and up to his room. She finds him on the floor, motionless, a look of despair and sadness on his face, not breathing..._

_"Frank! Oh my God! Frank! Aunt Mary! Come! It's Frank! Please wake up Frank! Please! Don't...don't leave me! You...you said that you won't! What happened to you?!? Frank, please!"_

_"What happ-"_

_The woman screamed in terror._

_"What happened?!? Did you do this?"  
"N-no, I didn't! I found him lying here!"_

_"Quick! Call an ambulance!"_

_The little girl weeps in the funeral. Why the young boy died was a complete mystery._

_"I...I should have told you. I should have told you..."_

_She continues weeping, as she approached the coffin. Inside, the young boy looks like he was just sleeping. A look of peacefulness and tranquility present on his face._

_"I should have told you before..._

_I should have told you..._

_That I don't see you as my big brother anymore..._

_I should have told you..._

_I should have told you that I loved you."_

And now, I won't be able to.

* * *

First Love**  
**Original Song by: Utada Hikaru 

**_Once in a while  
You are in my mind  
I think about the days we've had  
And I dream that this would all come back to me  
If only you knew every moment in time  
Nothing goes on in my heart  
Just like your memories  
How I long here to be with you once more_**

**_You are always gonna be my love  
I hope it's true, I have never felt this way about anyone  
I'll remember to love, you taught me how  
You are always gonna be the one, in my life  
Someday we will see each other again  
I know that you are my one and only first love  
  
Time can not stop feelings such as this  
Everyday from now I'll think about you  
When you came into my life, my world began turning  
Where will you be tomorrow this time  
Will it be me on your mind?  
Please tell me that your love is gonna be the same  
Oh oh  
  
Yeah, yeah, yeah  
  
You will always be inside my heart  
I know it's true. I hope that you never change the way you are  
I hope that I have a place in your heart too  
Now and forever you are still the one in my life  
Someday we will see each other again  
I know that you are my one and only first love  
  
Oh, oh  
  
You are always gonna be my love  
I know it's true. I have never felt this way about anyone  
I'll remember to love, you taught me how  
You are always gonna be the one  
Oneday we will be together again, yeah, yeah  
Now and forever, we will

* * *

_** This is from the website "Utada Hikaru English Lyrics Project". They make English versions of Utada's songs. _Ja ne!_


	15. Snyder

"What's wrong, Haylie?"

That morning, I didn't feel like talking to anyone. And worse, I don't want to see Jack's face. If I do, those memories would haunt me again. I couldn't bear the fact that...not saying what I feel is the biggest mistake of my life.

"It's nothing, Hal."

"Okay, nothing again! Why do you keep things from me? We're sisters. We should be telling these kind of things to each other!"

"It's nothing, okay!" She looked startled. I couldn't stop myself from shouting. I don't want her to be involved with my own feelings. I don't want her to worry about me.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I shouldn't be-"

"Hey you! Get your ass off the bed! NOW!"

I heard Dawn screaming at Gail, who was still fast asleep, not in the least unperturbed by her shouting. Gail seems to be dreaming. There's a mischievous smile on her face.

"Gail! Get up! Do you know what date it is? I don't know, but I have been here waking you up for forty-five years now! Get the hell out of your bed!"

Still has no effect whatsoever on Gail. I can see that Dawn is really getting angry.

"Arrgh! Fine! Go and slack off in the job! I'm leaving! Ugh! I hate this!" Dawn gave up in vain. No use waking her up.

"Are we just going to leave her there? She's going to miss selling papers."

"Whatever! Let's go. I refuse to be late and in the end of the line. The boys have already left us! Come on!" Dawn said, but I could've swore she muttered something under her breath. We ran to the Newsies Square fast. I was surprised when Taylor (which I haven't seen in the Lodging House this morning) suddenly appeared beside us. As usual, she didn't say anything but she looked a bit different today. You're not going to believe me in this one, but usually, her face is pale and emotionless, right? Today, for some unknown reason, she's blooming and there's a faint...something on her face. I suspected that...it's a smile. We reached the Newsies Square and saw Jack being chased by the Delanceys again. They seemed annoyed (again). He ran around the square, avoiding the Delanceys. At the Horace Greeley statue, he bumped into two boys. Hallie shifted beside me and smiled. We kept on walking towards the bunch of boys who were cheering and shouting.

"Hey guys!" I said, smiling.

"Hey goils!" they said.

"What, the usual morning scene?" Taylor said. And not in the usual bored drawl.

"Yep." Pie Eater replied with his usual big smile. And, I don't if was imagining it, but Taylor smiled back. What's wrong with the world today? We went forward on and Jack was beating up the Delanceys, who were fuming mad. Morris accidentally hit Oscar on the face. Jack climbed up the gates and the gate swung open. He jumped off and we congratulated him on a job well done.

"Brilliant, better than yesterday!" Racetrack said, patting Jack on the back.

"You're too kind to me, Race. You're too kind." He said, walking on to the counter. Oscar and Morris really looked angry and walked inside the counter.

"See you tomorrow, Cowboy."

"You're good as dead, Cowboy."

Jack just sneered mischievously. He knocked on the wooden board and called Mr. Weisel.

"Mr. Weasel." Then, he rang the bell loudly. The wooden board lifted and Mr. Weisel emerged from it again.

"Alright, alright! Hold your horses! I'm coming!"

Jack sneered again.

"So did'ja miss me Weasel? Did'ja miss me?" And as usual, Mr. Weisel is still called Mr. Weasel.

"I told you a million times, the name's Weisel. Mr. Weisel to you. How many?" Well, I think it's no use convincing these boys to call him by his real name. We're currently in the back of the line. I thought that Dawn would be angry, but no. She's talking to Dutchy, whom I have suspected that she has a crush on. Can't blame her, though. He is pretty good-looking. And with the blond hair, I guess Dawn thinks he's perfect now. Hallie looked very happy today too. I didn't ask her why. Suddenly, I remembered what happened to me yesterday. I told Hallie about it.

"So, this weird guy kept calling you 'Milady'?"

"Yeah. He was so weird. He kept bowing at me. It's very strange."

"And this woman, his wife, told him that it's not you he thinks he is?"

"Yeah. I kept wondering who were they talking about."  
Listen, I got an idea. Why don't we go to that place you were saying and ask them about it?"

"Okay. Should we tell the others?"

"Yes."

"Next!"

Hallie was next in line. She spoke immediately.

"50 papers, Mr. Weisel."

"50 papes for the weirdly-named girl! Next!"

I was next. The other weirdly-named girl.

"How many, uh, Yoo-mey?"

"50, sir."

"50 papes for the other weirdly-named girl! Next!"

I paid and took my papers from the counter and joined the group. Jack was talking to the boy he bumped into earlier. Hallie was beside Jack, talking to him as well.

"It's fair, David! Take it or leave it."

"But Hallie.."

"Come on. Please?"

The little boy beside the older one nodded. Finally, he held out his hand to Jack. Disgustingly, Jack spits on his own and reaches for him, who pulls his arm away.

"What'sa matta?"

"That's disgusting!"

The boys laugh, but me and Hallie didn't. That IS disgusting. It seems that Hallie knows this guy. She never told me about him or how they met. She seems to be pretty good friends with him. Wait, we've been here for a few days and we still haven't figured out how to get home. Come to think of it, is Mom and Dad already home? What would happen to them if they found out we're missing? Suddenly, a girl in school uniform hurries past and the newsies take off their hats and stare in awe. Dawn raised her eyebrow and muttered, "She's not that pretty! Her hairline's so weird!" Hallie just laughs at her.

"Baby Born Wid T'ree Heads!"

The others started yelling out various fake headlines. I'm still not very good at making up things. Hallie's getting quite good at it, even though she still feels that it's wrong.

"'Trolley Strike Causes Severe Casualties!' Read all about it!"

We roamed through the crowds. As usual, it was thick again. Jack held my hand again. Probably because I might get lost again if I didn't stay close to them. I feel kinda of weird. I decided to wear my skirt today, which Jack thought was very indecent. Hallie also wore her own, though she also wore black tights along with it to avoid awkwardness. I shouldn't have worn this. People kept staring at me. There was even an old man who attempted to touch my legs. Before he could, Hallie pulled me away from him and walked away fast enough to get away from him. We soon got into a boxing ring, where the match has already lasted up to 58 matches.

"Extra! Extra! Trolley Strike Drags On!" David shouted. It was the real headline in the paper. It was bad, yeah, but it's still better than mine. (Man Falls Off From Trolley!)

Jack shouted his own headline. "Extra! Extra! 'Ellis Island In Flames!' Big conflagration!"

Me, Hallie and David were confused.

"Wait, where's that story?" David asked.

"It's not true, David. He made that up." My sister said, scanning through the papers. I think David didn't hear her.

"Thank you sir. Page 9." He pointed out to us what page was it. I turned the paper to page 9. It was-

"'Trash Fire Next To Immigration Building Terrifies Seagulls'??" Davey read.

"Thousands flee in panic! Terrified flight of inferno! Thousands of lives at stake! Extra! Extra!" I couldn't help but admire Jack. Well, you gotta admit. The guy's got style! Hallie and David shook their heads disapprovingly. Les, (David's little brother) suddenly appears. He is so small that I failed to notice him.

"Hey, you start in da back like I told ya? Ok, show me again." Jack said. Les puts on a distraught face and lets out a fake cough.

"Buy me last pape, mista?" Wow! He's quite good at this. Well, unlike me who can't sell anything. Jack looked proud and laughed.

"It's heartbreaking, kid. Go get 'em."

David protested against this. And so did Hallie.

"My father told us not to lie."

"Well, my father told me not ta starve so we both got an education."

"You're just making up things. All these headlines."

"I don't do nothin' da guys who write it don't do. Anyway, it's not lying, it's just-"

"Improving the truth. Yeah, that's what you call it. It's still lying, Jack." Hallie spoke up. I nodded at Jack.

"Yeah, and I feel wrong about it."

"Well, you two could always quit, if ya want." Jack suggested.

"Oh no, buddy. That's the only thing wouldn't ever do. We never quit, right Haylie?" Oh yes, that's a trait we both share. If we started something, we never quit. If we agree to help people out, we do anything we can.

"Right!"

Jack smiled at us.

"Well, dat's good ta hear!"

Les came back. He faintly smells like beer...

"The guy gave me a quarter! Quick, give me some of those papers."

"Wait, wait. You smell like beer." David said, sniffing Les.

"Well, that's how I made the quarter. The guy bet me I wouldn't drink some."

David looked appalled.

"Hey, no drinkin' on da job. It's bad fer business. And what if someone called a cop on you?" Jack said.

"It's wrong to drink at a young age! You're barely legal!" Hallie hissed.

"Is he a friend of yours?" David said. He pointed to a grim-looking man who was looking at Jack from the other side of the ring. Jack looked surprised when he saw the man.

"Beat it! It's da bulls!"

Suddenly, cops came out and chased us. Jack took me by the hand. I took my sister by the hand and we ran as fast as we could to get away from Jack's pursuer. In that moment, I should be thinking how tight he holds my hand or how warm it is. Instead, I was thinking how embarrassing it is to be running in this short skirt while everyone else on the street was looking at your legs. Note to self: Do not wear this again!

"Hey! Jack! Who is that?!?" I asked. We kept on running until we reached a building. We ran inside it and ascended the stairs.

"No time ta explain! SLEEPER!"

A man was sleeping at the foot of the stairs. I almost tripped when I missed to jump. Luckily, I didn't. We got up to the rooftop. Without stopping for a second, Jack jumped off the roof.

"Jack!" My heart hammered fast. Visions of nasty things raced on my mind. Suddenly, Jack's head pops up on view. I feel so foolish. I thought he was dead splat on the street below. It seems that it wasn't really a high jump down there. We joined him on a ledge and hid below.

"Sullivan! Wait 'til I get you back to the Refuge!!!"

Finally, we escaped him. But there are no guarantees. We kept running until Jack pulls us into a halt outside Irving Hall. I've seen this place before but I haven't inside it.

"I'm not running any further!" David said, catching his breath.

"Yeah, so do we!" My sister said, panting.

"C'mere." Jack led us inside it.

"Hey! We want some answers, Jack!" We said.

"SHHH!"

"Who was he and why was he chasing you? And what is this Refuge?" Davey said, looking angry. Jack took a moment to answer. I wanted to know about the whole thing. Why was he being chased by that man?

"Da Refuge is dis jail for kids. Dat guy chasin' me was Snyder, he's da warden."

I was startled about what he said. He was jailed???

"You were in jail?" Me and Les asked him.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Well, I was starvin' so I stole some food." He looked a little bit insincere. I think he's lying. I think there's more to that.

"Oh yeah, food." David and Hallie clearly doesn't believe him.

"Yeah, food." Jack said.

"He called you 'Sullivan'."

"Well, my name's Jack Kelly. Jack Kelly. You t'ink I'm lyin'?" Jack answered right away. Sullivan? I know it's a common name, but I could've swore I remember someone with that surname...

"Well, you have a way of improving the truth."

"Yeah?"

Les was looking around the place. Then, he looks inside a horse dummy's head. Davey pulled him away from it.

"Why was he chasing you?"

"'Coz I escaped."

I was curious to know how he did, so I listened.

"Well, dis big shot gave me a ride in his carriage." He said with a smile on his face. Hallie rolled her eyes.

"I bet it was the mayor, right?" Davey asked sarcastically.

"No, Teddy Roosevelt. Ya evah hoid of 'im?" Jack answered.

"AS IF! You're pulling my leg!" Hallie shouted. "Are you saying that you got a ride out of your prison from the twenty-sixth president of-"

Hallie was going to disclose an information no one of them should know about. I rushed to her and clasped my hand on her mouth to shut her up.

"You really don't have to tell them that, Hallie!" I whispered to her ear. "We have already broken the boundaries of time and surely, you don't want to screw up the future!"

"You're right. Sorry." We caught the boys looking at us.

"Sorry about that, guys." We just smiled awkwardly. Suddenly, a voice spoke up.

"What is going on down there?!? Out! Out! Out!"


	16. At The Irving Hall

A woman in a bright pink dress and curly red hair came rushing down the stairs, waving her violet feathery fan violently at us. But as soon as she saw Jack, she stopped dead.

"You wouldn't kick me out without a kiss goodbye, would'ja Medda?"

The woman seemed to know Jack.

"Oh Kelly. Where ya been, kid? Oh, I miss seeing you up in the balcony."

Jack took her hand and kissed it.

"Hangin' on yer every woid. So Medda, this is David and Les. And these twin goils are Haylie and Hallie. And dis is da greatest star of da vaudeville stage today, Miss Medda Larkson, Da Swedish Meadowlark."

Jack introduced us to her, but Hallie seemed to know her.

"Oh yeah, I know her. Hi, Miss Medda! Remember me?" Hallie said, with the usual bow.

"Oh yes, you're one of those girls I found walking on the street with the strange clothes." Ms. Medda smiled at her, and she nodded shyly. Then, she turned to look at me.

"And this is your twin sister?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry, we forgot to say thank you for helping us that day." Hallie said.

"Oh that's okay." Ms. Medda smiled again. Then she bowed at us and said, "Velcome, ladies and gentleman.", with a Swedish accent.

"Well, Medda also own da joint." Jack said. Ms. Medda saw Les looking at her.

"Well, what have we here? Oh, aren't you the cutest little thing there ever was. Oh, yes you are." She waved her violet fan playfully at Les' face. Suddenly, he coughed. I thought that he was allergic to it, but figured out he was just faking it and held out a newspaper.

"Buy me last pape, lady?"

Medda was quite impressed with Les. Jack asked her if we could stay here for a while, knowing that Snyder could still be roaming outside looking for him. Ms. Medda told the candy guy to give us whatever we liked. Les rushed in and grabbed all the candy he could get his hands on. If Gail were here, she would've done the same. She has a sweet tooth and we've been telling her to lessen her eating of candies or she might get diabetes. I can hear her saying this in my head: "SUGAR RUSH!!!! Yeehaw!" I think it's already an addiction. Hallie and I took a piece of licorice whips and watched Ms. Medda go on stage. Men were cheering her on and kept whistling at her. Speaking of whistles, I've gotten better now. Hallie doesn't know about it and if she finds out, she lecture me about it on how inappropriate for a girl it is to be whistling.

_My lovey dovey baby_

_I boo-hoo-hoo for you_

_I used to be your tootsie-wootsie _

_Then you said 'toodle-deedoo'_

_I miss the hanky-panky_

_Each nighty-night 'til three_

_Come back my lovey-dovey baby_

_And coochie-coo with me_

It was already nighttime when we left Irving Hall. Ms. Medda was awesome. Hallie thinks the same. Jack lit up a cigarette and placed on his mouth. I don't like cigarettes very much...

"So, you liked dat?" Jack asked us.

"Oh, I loved that. I loved it. It was great. She is beautiful." David said. Then, he asked, "How do you know her?"

"She was a friend of me fadder's." Jack said.

"How about you, Hallie?" David turned around and asked my sister.

"Oh, we were walking around town, searching for Haylie when she saw us on the street. We were drenched in rain and we haven't got a place to stay, so she offered us to stay in Irving Hall for a while. But I was extremely worried about Haylie so we left first thing in the morning. Then, that's when we met Boots and told us about her."

"Oh." David said. He took a look on his watch.

"It's getting late. My parents are going to be worried. What about yours?" he said, turning at Jack, who was sitting in a chair for those who would want to get their shoes shined.

"Nah, they're out west lookin' fer a place ta live. Like this." He pulled out a brochure from Santa Fe. I remember him telling me this. Well, it seems that it true that his parents are living out west. And when his parents find the right ranch, they're going to send for him and he can be a real cowboy. Like Frank...he also wanted to be one.

_I thought you told yourself that you would stop thinking about him for a while..._

A small voice in my head spoke to me. Why, do you think I'm not trying?

_Not hard enough, Haylie._

Please stop now. I've had too many-

BOOM!

We heard loud crashes up ahead. We ran to the site were it happened. We see a riot breaking out. Jack looks like he was enjoying the whole thing while me and Hallie weren't. It's horrible...all these fighting...A group of men are beating up another man. Around the corner down the street same time, a trolley car in flames. Surrounded by a mob of shouting men. In the flickering light, we see signs reading "Trolley Workers on Strike."

"Scabs! Soak da scabs!"

I was getting uncomfortable with the whole thing. I reached for Hallie's hand and held it. But, when I looked beside her, I saw that it's not her hand I was holding. It was Jack's! Hallie's on my left side. I let go at once. He looked like he didn't mind, but...it's quite embarrassing.

"All dis scaring you?" he asked. I nodded timidly.

"Jack! Why don't we go to my place and divvy up? You can meet my folks." David said, he too looking uncomfortable. Jack wasn't listening.

"It's the trolley strike, guys. Dese couple of dumb-asses mustn't have joined or somethin'."

"Jack, let's all get out of here!" David shouted.

"Good idea, David!" Hallie said.

"Jack, come on, let's go!" I said.

"So, maybe we'll get a good headline tomorrow, guys!" Jack said. We noticed that Les has been very quietly lately. It seems that he fell asleep in the bench behind us. Jack chuckled at the sight of him sleeping.

"Look at dis, he slept da whole way t'ru it." He picked up Les and we left Baker Street We walked through the streets of Jewtown, where David and Les lived. Quite a different worldJack's carrying Les in his arms. David, Hallie and Me beside him, still shaken from the whole thing. It begins to rain, so we walked faster.

Dey crack a few heads. What's da big deal?" Jack said.

People lose jobs, everyone suffers." David replied. Hallie nodded in agreement.

Not the rich." Jack said with a vagrant expression on his face. I agree with him...It seems pretty unfair.

"Next building. Want me to take him?" David said, offering to take Les.

Nah ... I got'm." He paused for a second to look up at the apartment. " What floor are ya on?"

Fifth."


	17. Laughter

David opened the front door, where we see his parents sitting on a table and, I think, is his sister sitting on a chair not far from the table, knitting.

"My God! What happened?" His mother asked, looking at Les, who was lying on Jack's shoulders.

"Nothing, mama. He's just sleeping." David said. His mother took Les from Jack and placed him on the bed. He looks adorable, like a baby angel...

"We've been waiting dinner for you. Where have you been?" David's father asked. David puts a pile of coins on the table. Their earnings from selling newspapers.

"You made all this selling newspapers?" His father asked, looking at the pile of coins on the table.

"Well, half of it's Jack's." David turns around and faces at our direction.

"This is our selling partner, and our friend. Jack Kelly, my parents." Then, he walked near us and introduced us as well.

"And these are Haylie and Hallie. They're twins. Hallie's the one I've told you about." We did our customary bow at his parents. They smiled at us, although they seemed to be a little weirded out at our bow, and maybe a little bit more because of my short skirt.

"And that's my sister, Sarah." David pointed at the girl sitting on the chair knitting. She smiled at us.

"Esther, maybe David's guests would like to join us for dinner. Why don't you add a little more water to the soup?" Mr. Jacobs said, kissing his wife on the cheek. She shoves him away playfully.

"Mayer!"

We ate dinner at the Jacobs' home. Actually, we tried to refuse but David insisted that we stay for dinner. It was a very nice one. Even though it was only soup, it was very delicious. Mrs. Jacobs knows how to cook very well...which reminds me of _our _own home. I'm starting to miss Father and _Okaasan..._

"So, from what I saw today, yer boys are a couple of born newsies." Jack says in praise of David and Les. I looked at the window. It was raining. I remembered Gail. She might be cowering under the sheets back at the Lodging House. She _hates _lightning. She never actually told us about it. I smiled at the mere thought about it. Sarah clears the table, but Jack turns at her.

"Can I have a little more?"

"Yes."

Hallie looked at him reprovingly. It seems that she thinks that it's a bit rude to ask for more food.

"So, from their hard work and my experience, I figure we could make a thousand papes a week."

"That many?" Mr. Jacobs asked.

"More when da headlines are good." Jack said. Sarah sits beside him. I wonder what makes a headline good. I listened to him attentively.

"So what makes the headline good?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, you know, umm...catchy woids like...a maniac, or corpse, umm...let's see, lovenest, or nude." We laughed at what Jack said. Hallie looked quite appalled at what she just heard.

"Oh excuse me. Maybe I'm talkin' too much." Jack stopped. Mrs. Jacobs turned to our direction and spoke to us.

"How about you two?"

We answered her.

"Oh, uh, well...to be honest, my sister sells better than me." I said shyly. They chuckled.

"That's nonsense. You're alright." Hallie said.

"Oh, try using 'Trolley Wheels On Strike' as a headline and say 'you're alright'." I said, thinking about my bad luck for selling. Jack, David, Sarah and their parents laughed. I went as red as a radish with a bad sunburn.

"Why is that, Haylie?" Sarah asked, still laughing.

"I...I just can't come up with headlines as good as my sister's, or Jack's." I said pathetically.

Mr. Jacobs smiled, then asked Sarah to get the cake her mother's hiding in the cabinet.

"That's for your birthday tomorrow!" Mrs. Jacobs said, pelting him softly with a table napkin.

"Well, I've had enough birthdays. This is a celebration."

David and Sarah stood up from his chair.

"I'll get the knife."

"I got the plates."

We offered to help Sarah on the plates. As we helped her carrying the plates, Sarah whispered me something.

"Hey, Haylie. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you like Jack?"

I was startled at her question. She just asked me if I liked Jack. I don't know what to answer back.

"I...uh...w-why do you ask?" I stuttered.

"Nothing, really. I just think that you make a cute couple." Then, she smiled at me. I felt weird. And now, I'm asking myself. Do _I _like Jack?

"Happy Birthday, Papa!" Sarah said and kissed her father in the cheek. Mrs. Jacobs has cut the cake and placed it on the plates.

"For our guests." She said. Sarah gave out the plates and the forks to everyone. As soon as she gave me mine, she gave me a sweet smile. I didn't know what to do, so I just smiled back.

"This is going to heal, and they'll give me back my job. I'll make them." Mr. Jacobs said, referring to his injured arm. Suddenly, we heard someone singing Ms. Medda's song. It was Les, stirring in his sleep. Me, Hallie, Jack and Davey looked at each other and laughed. David stopped right away when his mother asked about it.

"And what is this David, hmm?"

We ate the chocolate cake Mrs. Jacobs has baked for her husband. It was very delicious. After eating, we talked with Sarah for a while.

"So, where are you two from?" She asked. I looked at Hallie straight in the eyes. I think she understood.

"We're from England, actually, but we grew up here. We moved there when we were-"

"Seven." I interrupted Hallie. Seven years old was the first that came into my mind.

"Oh. Where are your parents?"

Hallie put on a sad face. I did the same.

"They...uh, died last year. From, uh, pneumonia. We're now orphaned and we have no relatives here." Hallie said sorrowfully. Sarah seems to believe the whole thing.

"Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that."

"That's okay." Hallie sniffed. (fake)

I thought about what time it is, so I asked.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"It's eight o' clock, I think."

"Oh, we better get going."

"Yeah."

Jack turned at us and asked.

"Are ya two leavin'?"

"Oh, umm, yeah we are." I said.

"I'll go wid you."

"Oh, there's no need. We know the way home."

"But, is it okay?" David asked.

"Yeah, it is."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, you will."

It looks like something's going on between them. I smiled at her. She caught me looking at her like that and elbowed me at the ribs.

"Hey, that hurts!"

We bid farewell to them and bowed.

"Goodbye, everyone. It was nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs. And you too, Sarah." We said together.

"Bye! Be careful on your way home!"

"We will!"

We made our way to the Lodging House easily. I just have to ask Hallie about it.

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing, thank you very much."

I decided to taunt Hallie and poked a little fun at her.

"You like him, you like him!" I said in a sing-song voice.

"I do not!"

"Oh, I think you do!"

"Do not!"

"Hahahaha!!!"

"Hey! I don't have...something...on him! We're just really good friends."

"Yeah, with benefits!"

I continued making fun of her until we reached the Lodging House. When we reached it, though, we saw Gail, looking angry and distraught, soaking wet.

"What happened, Gail?"

She just looked at us and didn't say anything. Then, she ran upstairs, grumbling about something.

"What was that all about?"

"Beats me."

We went upstairs and sat on the bed. Gail was muttering curses about someone. It seems that she's mad on someone, although she wouldn't tell us about it. A few moments later, Jack, with Racetrack behind him, arrived. He looked a bit depressed. He glanced at me but didn't say anything. He went up the rooftop again. I wonder what's wrong with him? I followed him up there. I found him sitting on the ledge again. He seems to be thinking to himself. I decided to cheer him up.

"Hey!"  
He looked at me, still the same sad look. I tried to make him smile.  
"Hey, watch!"  
I showed him that I have practiced whistling. This time it's not a wet blast of air. It's a real whistle.  
"Hey, you got pretty good." He said, with sadness in his voice.  
"You sound sad."  
"Yeah, maybe." He said. Suddenly, a weird suggestion came into my mind.

"Wanna scream?"  
He looked at me, probably weirded out. "I really don't think dat's gonna help, ya know."

"Well, sometimes that seemed to work, you know." I said, but he just ignored me. I started pacing around, trying to think of better things to say.  
"You know what? It's embarrassing to say this myself...but I try to let go of the past and focus on what's more to come. But sadly, I still haven't let go of the past. My friends and my sister are kind of...like...my ray of light. A lot of people depend on their friends when they're troubled." I paused for a moment to think. Then I continued.  
"I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad, you know? I know it's hard."  
"Yeah... I understand. I t'ink." Jack said. It seems that he feels the same way. Still, I have to make him smile, even if it's just a little.  
"Right, now let's see what you can do."  
"Huh?" Jack looked puzzled. I was urging him to try and smile. Maybe it'll make him feel better. I didn't bother asking why he was. It's probably personal anyway.  
  
"Come on!" I said. Jack did what I said and he started trying to smile, even though it came out as a bunch of weird facial expressions. He looks so funny!  
"Dis is weird!" He said, stopping making silly faces that were supposed to be smiles.  
"Next, try laughing out loud!" I said. I tried to do that once. It made me feel better, but I felt very weird after that.

"What?" Jack said, looking perplexed.  
"Come on, show me!"  
Jack stretches, and forces a loud, obnoxious, and kind of strange laugh.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

"AH HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

Jack kept on doing it. He seems to be enjoying it. The, suddenly we heard a man shout at us from afar.

"Hey, shut up, ya loony!!! We're tryin' ta sleep heah!"  
"You probably shouldn't laugh any more." I said, after that man shouted. Jack stopped for a moment. Then, he looked mischievously at me. I think I get it.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

"AH HA HA HA HA HA!!!"  
"AH HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

He kept on laughing and I joined in. We can hear dogs barking and cats wailing. We stopped and started laughing normally. It felt quite good!  
"Too funny!"  
"It was yer idea!" Jack said, clutching his stomach from laughing. Finally, he laughed. I haven't really seen him laugh before, and if he did, he might just be pretending to be happy, when deep inside, you're not happy. Like what I do...smile in front of people, cry to sleep at night.  
"Um...thank you." I said. It should have been him who would say thanks. But it turns out that I was the one who needed the laughter, so I thanked him instead.  
"You know, I want my stay here to be full of laughter, before we could find a way to go back."

"Okay." He said, "I'll give ya dat laughter." I smiled at him. Then, I thought about the words he said to me the other day.  
"If we should get separated, just whistle. I'll come running, I promise."  
Jack nodded.  
"Well, let's go inside."  
We turned around and saw everyone's staring at us. They must have heard us laughing up here like weirdoes and came up here to see why.  
"What'cha all lookin' at?" Jack said. All of them seemed to be muffling their laughters.  
"...pppfffttt...We was just worried ya guys might've gone crazy!" Mush said, trying not to laugh.  
"Sorry!" We said. We went inside, looking at each other. But, you know? In that moment, I thought I just felt Frank's presence there...somewhere, but...I don't know. It's not because I think that Jack is Frank, but...I don't know. It's complicated. I won't be able to explain it. And no matter how much I want to be with him, Jack isn't Frank. It's impossible. No matter how much I would want to turn back the time, he wouldn't be able to know what I really feel for him. And that's my biggest mistake. Suddenly, I remembered what Sarah asked me earlier.

_"Do you like Jack?"_

I don't know. I don't know what to think about it. I don't know what to feel about it. It's strange, really. When I think about what she just asked me, I start asking myself. Do I like Jack? And if I do, is it because he just looks like Frank? No, that's not a good reason. You like someone because of the way he treats you, like the way I felt for Frank because he cares for me so much. But, do I really like Jack? He has such a big difference from Frank, despite the physical appearance, but there are certain times that when I'm with him, I feel like I'm with Frank. I kept on thinking about it and analyzing my feelings. And now, I come to a conclusion. I should stop thinking about the past and just let it go. I shouldn't fall in love with someone just because they resemble someone you've loved before. And I should be honest and true to my own feelings and stop lying to myself. Because...I think...I feel...that...I really do like Jack.


	18. Selene

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies. And, uh, the idea of Aeons (and the terminology) and relics are from the games Threads of Fate and Final Fantasy X and are the properties of Squaresoft. Sorry if I had to use the idea. Can't come up of anything good. I'm crappy when it comes to that. And please don't sue me. Go ahead, I won't give you anything if you did because I don't have anything.

* * *

After what I have thought to myself last night...I feel awkward. Now, I can't talk to Jack properly. This morning, he said 'Good Morning' to me. And do you know what I said back? 'Good Afternoon.' It was embarrassing. I shouldn't thought about it. It only makes me feel awkward and strange. Me and Hallie told the others about the weird red-haired guy and his wife. They all agreed on going to their small shop and ask them about who the man mistook me from. We decided to skip selling newspapers today. We went on first thing in the morning because Hallie was very curious about it. We went along with the boys and split up on the way. Finally, we reached the shop where I first met Walter. He was sweeping outside. We walked towards him.

"Hey, uh, Mr. Walter? Do you remember me?" I said. He turned around too fast and cricked his neck. He dropped his broomstick and fumbled around.

"Oh...h-hey Milady-I mean...uh, what's your name?"

"Haylie."

"Yeah. Uh, what do-do-do-"

His small eyes bulged again. He was looking strangely at Hallie.

"W-why is there two of-of-of you?!?" He stuttered.

"It's because they're twins, Walter." A voice spoke from behind. It was Ms. Lucille, standing on the doorway.

"What?"

"Take a closer look."

He looked at us, from me to Hallie, then he repeated the process over and over again.

"Here's a clue. The other has longer hair while the other has shorter."

Walter took another look at us. Then, he crossed his arms and said with indignation, "I knew that!"

"How perceptive." Taylor said sarcastically.

Ms. Lucille walked towards us.

"Well, well. Look who's here. It's Haylie, right?" I nodded timidly.

"We want to ask about-"

"About who my husband mistook you from, isn't it?" She interrupted. Wait a minute...how did she know that...it's exactly what I want to ask?

"Y-yes, but how-"

"Come inside." She said, then she and her husband walked inside the shop. Dawn and Gail looked reluctant to go inside.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Gail said.

"Me too." Dawn added.

We followed them inside. The interior was actually larger than what it looks like outside. I never would have imagined that this was actually a bookshop. It looked so different from outside. Probably because it looks so dark and gloomy. But inside, it's quite comfy and warm. Books of different sorts are lined up everywhere. Hallie looked pretty glad to be here. She would be able to read some of these. She just loves to read books.

"Take a seat." Ms. Lucille pointed to five chairs behind us that I haven't noticed before that it was there. We did what she said and took a seat. Walter came in with a tray of biscuits, a teapot and cups. He looked so twitchy and nervous that he almost dropped the tray and the pitcher. He placed it on a table in front of us. He took a seat beside his wife. We just stared at them, not making any sound. I eyed the tray of biscuits suspiciously.

"Well, why haven't you touched the tea and the biscuits? Do you think they're poisoned?" Ms. Lucille spoke, a mysterious half-smile curving on her lip.

"Uh? They aren't...are they?" Gail said, her mouth full of biscuits. We never noticed that she already took a handful of biscuits.

"Gail!"

"What?!? These biscuits seem pretty harmless! And they're yummy!" She said, grinning with satisfaction. Ms. Lucille laughed.

"Anyway, may I ask about all of you?" We gave each other anxious looks. The others introduced themselves to Walter and Lucille (Of course, they already know about me.)

"Where are you all from?" She asked. I felt even more nervous. She keeps looking at us mysteriously, like she's reading our minds.

"We-we're from-"

"Ah, England, right? I don't think so. You already used that so many times." She said, smiling. W-what?!? Then, is my hunch true? Is she reading our minds?

"Are you spying at us?!?" Dawn burst into an anxious, uneasy state.

"No, my dear girl. I'm not spying on you. We already know you all about you." Ms. Lucille said, looking at Walter, who nodded happily in agreement. Okay, what did she mean by that?

"What do you mean?!?" Hallie said, panic ringing in her voice.

"We already know all about you. I saw beforehand that you will be sent here in our time." She said calmly. But we were not in a calm state. This is a serious situation! How come...this man and woman, whom I've met only two days ago, already know about us when we haven't told her anything?

"You mean...you know all about us...that we're from the future?" Taylor asked, her face paler than usual.

"Exactly." Walter and Lucille said in perfect unison. That was it. I'm panicking now.

"How could you know?!?" I said loudly, anger and panic rushing all over me. "I never told you anything about it!"

"Even if you haven't, we already know about it. Now, sit down all of you and I will tell you everything." Lucille said, an air of impatience around her voice. I was reluctant if I would do what she says and listen, or just walk out that door. After a few minutes, I made my decision.

"Okay, but we still don't trust both of you." I sat down quietly. Hallie looked at me. It's as if she's saying that, "These people can't be trusted!" through eye contact. I nodded and tried to make her understand what I'm trying to say without the use of words. She seemed to understand. She sat down quietly as well. The others did the same. Well, except for Dawn. She stood still, eyeing the couple suspiciously. Taylor pulled her down and made her sit quietly on her chair. Angered, she looked ready to burst out loud and pick a fight with Taylor. But before she could, I gave her a look that suggested that she should just keep her mouth shut and listen to Lucille. And finally, she slumped back into her chair and kept sulking.

"Now, are you all ready to listen?" Lucille said. We nodded to her.

"Alright then, here it goes."

"The reason why we have known about you is that...I have predicted that it would happen." We gasped at what we just heard.

"Wait, wait, wait...are you saying that, you, like, already know all about this weirdo stuff that's happened to us?" Gail interrupted. Ms. Lucille nodded.

"Okay...Oh my freakin' God." Then, she kept quiet again.

"As I may continue, I knew that you were not her when I first saw you." Lucille said, looking at me.

"Who is that 'her' you're referring to?" I asked, curiosity possessing me. She didn't say anything. She continued on.

"And then, when I saw your twin sister, Hallie...I knew that you were the ones. Her possible reincarnations." She said, looking at us both. Reincarnations?!? Of whom?

"Who are you talking about?!? Will you please tell us?" Hallie asked persistently. Lucille paused for a moment. Then, finally she said it. The person she was talking about.

"The daughter and the successor of the Aeon family we are serving. Selene Evergrand."

It was none other than Selene, that girl Jack mentioned when I was in that so-called Field of Souls in my 'vision'. The name he kept calling me. The name he said that he has lost forever.

"Selene?!?" I burst out loud. I couldn't believe what I just heard.

"Why, do you know her?" Lucille said, the usual misty voice broke into a surprised one.

"Y-yes...I think." I said feebly. I can feel Hallie's and everyone else's eyes looking at me.

"But how? How did you know about her?" She asked, her eyes widened.

"Because...I had, I mean, we had this vision, that we were in some sort of field called..." I said. Everybody seems to be listening attentively.

"The Field of Souls." Hallie finished the sentence I was going to say. Lucille gasped and Walter almost fell out of his chair.

"D-did you just say...the Field of Souls???" Walter stuttered. We nodded. Then, we told them about what we saw...what I saw...and about Jack.

"Inconceivable!"

"I-I can't believe it!"

"What? What? What are you guys talking about???"

Yeah, I know it's hard to understand, but we couldn't understand it either.

"This is interesting. How could you two have the same vision at the same time? And that voice you kept hearing...describe it." Lucille said, unable to believe what she heard. We told her about it as well. But I added that along with it, I also kept hearing Frank's voice.

"Your friend?" Lucille asked. I nodded. Then, she stood up and paced around the room.

"Perhaps it might be him?" I heard her whisper to herself, but enough for us to hear her. Walter grabbed some biscuits from the tray and poured himself a cup of tea. Gail did the same. Then, she told us the story of Selene, after a few moments of pacing around the room.

"A few years ago, when she was about seven years old, her family moved here to New York City. At a first look, her family just looks like one of those rich families who can afford anything. But unbeknownst to the people, they are one of the noble families of a race called 'Aeons'."

"What are 'aeons'? " we asked.

"Aeons are powerful sorcerers with abilities to rearrange the stars, move mountains, empty oceans, or destroy continents. But, despite their godlike powers, they weren't immortal. Their race are quickly dying as of today, and their powers are weakening. Now, Selene, who does not know anything about this, thought that she was just another ordinary girl, when the truth that she's not. One day, she met a young boy named Francis Sullivan that she befriended very quickly. The two were almost inseparable; they were like brother and sister. But, even though she was young, Selene developed feelings for the boy. And, in my own opinion, I think the boy also had feelings for her. But, her parents suddenly found out about her feelings for the boy. They were against it by any means. I suspected that it was because he's human and Selene is an Aeon. They didn't want her to fall in love with a human and soon marry him. So, without telling her the reason why, they sailed back to England. Her father removed all the memories of the people that knew Selene. She kept crying and crying to me. All I could do was to comfort her, and...nothing else. She asked her parents why they did what the have to do. They finally told her of her heritage, that she isn't an ordinary human being. She is an Aeon. At only ten years old, she managed to control her magical powers quickly and efficiently. But that was her parents' biggest mistake. Selene sneaked inside her father's atelier and used one of his relics to create an astral clone of Francis and imbued all of his memories into it. Her father caught her eventually and threatened to obliterate the clone, but Selene stole one of her father's relics. The Key of Chronos. It is a golden key with five Chronos stones attached on its upper part and a Chronos sphere in the middle."

Wait a minute, 'The Key of Chronos'...I found a golden key before...and it also has five stones attached on its upper part...is that the Key she's talking about? But wait, she also mentioned another thing...there is a sphere on the middle. The key I found doesn't have one. It might be a different one. But can two different keys have the same use?

"I remember that he built gateways in each of their houses. And there was one in their mansion back in England. She used it and sent the clone into the future. Before she did, she removed all of his memories, and imbued him with fake ones. That was the last time we ever saw him again. And then, she never smiled again."

After what she told us, we were confused. It was too unbelievable to say that you can believe it. But there's still a few unanswered questions.

"Wait, is there two Keys of Chronos?" I asked. Lucille turned around and spoke to me.

"No, there isn't. As long as I can remember, there is only one Key."

"How come we're the possible reincarnations of her?" Hallie asked this question. Lucille looked at her, then turned her eyes away.

"Because that's what I saw. If she was ever reborn, she would be both of you. Truly, the resemblance is striking."

We still couldn't understand. How could one person be reborn into two?

"But, how could that be? She's only one person." My sister asked.

"I don't know. But, I think that she also longed to have a sister. She was an only child." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"But, she's still alive, isn't she?" Walter asked. Lucille looked at him sadly.

"Barely."

"Why? What happened?" We asked, but it seems too painful for her to say. We decided not to bring up the subject again. Suddenly, something came up in my mind.

"Could you show us a picture of her?" I asked. Hallie nodded in agreement. We have to see what she looks like at least.

"Alright. Walter, could you go and get a picture of her?" Lucille asked. Walter stood up from his chair and went into the other room. Soon enough, he came back, clutching a picture frame. We all looked at it. It was true. We do look like her. She has long hair that curled at the ends, the eyes shaped like ours, the same nose, and the same lips.

"She was seven in this picture. Such a beautiful child." Lucille said, sniffing slightly. Then, I wondered what do they do for their family.

"You said that, both of you served their family, right? What did you do?"

"We are guardians for them, especially for Selene. Since their powers are weakening, we have to protect, even if it costs our lives." Lucille said. Then, she explained how they protect them.

"Other magical races would exploit the fact that their powers are weakening. They are jealous of the Aeons' powers. So, we have to protect them. I am a black mage, a witch to be exact, while Walter is a warrior. I am also skilled in Divination, while Walter is skilled in alchemy." That explained it. They themselves have magical powers as well.

"It must have been hard." I said. They both nodded in agreement. Suddenly, I remembered about the newsies. We have to go back.

"There are still more I could tell you, but I think you all need to go." Lucille said. We said yes and bid goodbye to them. As I walked out the door of the bookshop, I remembered something. Selene loved a boy named Francis Sullivan. Yesterday, when we were being chased by Snyder, he called Jack 'Sullivan'. Does that mean that he's...no, I might be wrong. 'Sullivan' is a common name and it's probably someone else. But still, there's something that bothers me. It's that we, me and Hallie, are the possible reincarnations of her. Suddenly, I felt like I wasn't real anymore. They said that she's still alive, but barely. What does that mean? That when she dies, we will be her in the future? For now, I wouldn't think about it. It's causing me a headache.


	19. The Strike Begins

"STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!"

We heard loud voices shouting these words. Strike? Is the Trolley Strike causing a commotion again? We hurried to the direction where the commotion has broken out. There are some curious people checking out the people who started this. They were only a few, so we made our way through easily. As we reached the spot, we realized that the noise starters were none other than the boys themselves. The newsies.

"We gotta get woid out to all da newsies of New York! I need some 'o those…um, what'dja call 'em?"

It was Jack who was leading the commotion, no doubt about it. But a strike? Why? Wait a minute…this must be how it started! The Newsboys' Strike…We're going to see it with our own eyes!

"Hallie, this…" I prodded my sister in the arm. She turned around with a gleaming wide smile on her face.

"Yes, I know! Isn't this simply _fascinating_?!?"

"Yeah…but it's kinda weird to be here, witnessing this."

"It is. But this'll be an experience!"

Yeah, an experience indeed. First, we got ripped off from our own time, and ended up here, then I meet Jack, then we found stuff about Selene & the aeons, and now…this. An experience indeed.

"Okay, you guys, ya gotta be am-bastards & go tell da others dat we're on strike."

Gail hopped her way on to Jack's side, grinning like a kid high on candy.

"Say, Jack, I'll take Harlem."

"I got Midtown."

"I got da Battery, Jack."

"Hey, I'll take da Bronx"

Kid Blink, Racetrack, Mush, & Crutchy left. Jack assigned more people to be 'am-bastards' to certain places in New York. I was about to say something to him when he gave me a look I can't decipher. Then, he turned away from me & continued on talking.

"Alright. And Bumlets, an' Specs an' Skittery, you take Queens. Pie Eater! Snoddy! East Side! Snipeshooter, you go wid 'em."

Jack had said every part in New York & assigned a few or more newsies to negotiate in that area, except one. And that is-

"So, what about Brooklyn? Who wants Brooklyn? C'mon, Spot Conlon's territory?"

None of the other newsies who are still here volunteered to go to Brooklyn. Hmm, I wonder why? Who is this Spot Conlon? Is he the reason why no one's volunteering? I caught a sight at Gail's face. I think the moment she heard the word 'Brooklyn', she wiped off the wide, child-like grin from her face. I remember last night when she arrived at the Lodging House, soaking wet, (probably because of the rain) with a facial expression an artist cannot paint. She was so mad last night, I remember that she kept pacing around the room, muttering foul words to herself. I wonder who's that she's mad at?

"What'sa matta? You scared of Brooklyn?"

"Hey, we ain't scared of Brooklyn!" Boots shouted bravely. But that brave image soon faded away when he continued the sentence with his voice quivering.

"It's Spot Conlon dat makes us a little nervous."

"Well, he don't make me nervous." Jack said, maybe a little bit airy for my own opinion, but that's just the way he is.

"So you an' me, Boots, we'll go ta Brooklyn. And-"

Suddenly, Gail interrupted him.

"Hey, I wanna go too! I wanna go too!"

She skipped & hopped like a five-year old, but without the kiddy expression. It was kind of serious, actually. More like…angry, I think.

"Hey, Jack, we want to go with you guys." I said. Jack turned around & faced me.

"Umm, I t'ink you & the others would betta stay heah."

And do what? Sit at home & knit? No way!

"Why? We want to help too!" Hallie said.

"Yeah! Right guys?" I said, turning to Taylor & Dawn, who weren't paying any attention at all. How nice.

"Huh? Did you say something, Haylie?" Dawn said, blinking innocently. Okay, that's annoying.

"Oh no, I didn't say anything. Nothing at all." I glared at her but she chose to ignore me.

"Taylor?" I said, looking at her, who was looking a bit sick. She didn't reply. She looks a bit nauseous & paler than ever. Oh my God, we better get her home.

"Taylor, are you alright?" I asked. She ignored me again.

"Goils, ya betta get Taylor home." Jack instructed us. I nodded.

"Hey, I still wanna go with you guys!" Gail said, hopping again.

"Alright, alright! And Dave heah can keep us company." Jack said.

"Sure, just as soon as you deliver our demands to Pulitzer." Davey said. Jack looked a bit surprised at what he heard. But we have no time for that now. We have to get Taylor back to the Lodging House. I wonder what's wrong? It's pretty hot today & beads of sweat slid down my cheeks. Is it the heat that made Taylor nauseous? Davey urged Jack to go to Pulitzer & give him our, or rather, the Newsies' demands & to let the old man know that we're on strike. Jack looked a bit hesitant to go inside the World building, but did so, taking Les with him.

"Well, the kid'll soften him up."

The boys cheered & started shouting "Strike! Strike! Strike!" again. After that, they go off in different directions to carry out the word. We left with haste to Lodging House to let Taylor rest. Gail stayed with Davey to wait for Jack & Les. She is, after all, insistently going to Brooklyn with them. As I looked back, I saw a man around the age of thirty talking to Davey. He must be asking about the whole strike thing. We hurried on to the Lodging House since Taylor looks worse than ever.

* * *

We finally made it to the Lodging House. As soon as we went inside, Mr. Kloppman emerged from behind the reception desk to ask what wrong with Taylor. We told him about it helped us carry off Taylor to bed.

"Haylie, get a basin of cold water & a towel." Hallie told me. I did what she said & went to the bathroom stalls. Taylor was laid in Dutchy's bed. She looks paler than she usually is. Hallie took the towel & dipped it into the basin. She wiped it on Taylor's ash-white face to relieve her of the nausea. I remember that on the way here, she almost fainted & can't walk properly. We were relieved she didn't. She was about to close her eyelids to go to sleep when she suddenly stood up from the bed, much to our surprise. She walked lethargically inside a comfort room & slammed the door. We heard loud barfing sounds from inside.

"Eww…" Dawn said, having a completely disgusted look on her face that would suggest she had something nasty under her nose.

After the barf-a-thon, Taylor opened the door & splashed her face with water. After that, she faced a mirror & started poking her eyes.

"Oh my God! Taylor, what are you doing?!?" I said, surprised at her. What I thought that she was poking her eyes turned out to be that she was taking off contact lenses.

Contact lenses? I never knew she had contact lenses. She never mentioned a thing about those. She took out a box from her pocket. It has some kind of small case inside it. She opened it & poured a gelatinous substance in it. She placed her contact lenses inside, placed it inside the box & put it back on her pocket. Then, she splashed her eyes gently with water & blinked a few times. She walked towards the bed lethargically with her eyes partially closed. Closed to she almost can't see anything. She made her way through the bed without falling down & went to sleep.

"What was that all about?" Hallie said, scratching her head. Dawn just shrugged.

"Well, at least we know that she's alright." I said. Then, we left the room quietly so we wouldn't disturb her from sleeping peacefully. You know what they say, "Fool around with a drunk all you want, but do not ever fool around with someone who's sleeping, especially someone who just woke up." And especially, if that someone is Taylor Winters.


	20. Lunch at Tibby's

We went back to the Newsies Square & saw that the boys have gathered there, making signboards that say "Strike!" It looks that this has gone serious. Hallie gave a weird jig as soon as she saw the signboards. Ever the history buff, Hallie is.

"Oh my God, this is, like, so cool!" She said, a big grin on her lips spreading up to her ears.

"What's so cool about this?" Dawn said, looking completely reluctant to be here seeing this.

"Well, this is history. And I can't believe we're going to be a part of it! I never even dreamed that this would happen to us! This is simply extraordinary!" Hallie said excitedly.

"Oh, me neither. Except for the fact that I never liked History & I hate being here." Dawn said with a tone of complete disgust at the subject that is called History.

"Oh please. You're no fun! Come on, Lee. Let's go find Jack. I think they're still here." Hallie said, grabbing my hand. Dawn was left behind. She walked towards the square. Probably towards Dutchy. I've noticed that she has been trying to get his attention. I just don't know if he plays along with it. We asked the others if Jack, Davey, Les, Boots & Gail are still here. They said that they're in Tibby's, along with a middle-aged man. A man? We don't know anyone like that. Or if I'm correct, maybe it was that man Davey was talking to earlier? We opened the door of the restaurant & walked inside. We saw them right away, talking to that man & eating lunch. The man probably bought it. Those guys don't have any money on their pockets, especially that they're now on strike against Pulitzer because he charged the newsies more for their papers. They can't even complete three meals a day, & now he's made their lives harder for them. I felt a surge of anger coursing through me. Now I know someone who's more selfish than Dawn. Joseph Pulitzer.

"Hey, the twins are heah!" Jack said, catching a sight at us.

"Oh, hey guys! Want a hotdog?" Gail said, her mouth full of food. I refused. She was sitting beside Les, who was also eating hotdog. Gail was munching on her food, when she saw a man trip on his feet outside the restaurant that made her & Les laugh out loud, spraying Davey with bits of food.

"Hey! That's disgusting, you two! Food is meant to be swallowed, not sprayed on me!" Davey said, his face covered with hotdog bits. But catching the sight of him made Gail & Les laugh even harder, spraying more bits of food at him.

"Eww gross! Gail, swallow that already!" Hallie said, wiping Davey's face with a napkin.

"Oooh, touchy-touchy!" Gail said, clicking her tongue at her. Jack was laughing along with them when he stopped when he remembered about the man sitting with them.

Oh, goils, this is Bryan Denton. He's a reporter from da New York Sun."

The man, Mr. Denton, seems to be a very nice man, quite handsome, & reminds me a lot of Dad. Oh…darn it. I miss home already. I'm feeling a bit homesick now. Wonder if they're back from their trip?

"Hello." He said. We smiled back at him.

"Do you want to eat? Don't worry about it, I'll pay." He said, taking out his wallet. I was about to refuse, when Hallie cut me off & accepted his offer. Oh well, I'm starving anyway. Wait a minute…since when did Hallie learn to be like that? She would always be the first one to refuse. Well, probably because of hunger. We are almost out of money ourselves. But how are we going to have money, now that we're involved in the strike? How are we going to work for our money? How are _they _going to work for their lives? Mr. Denton smiled at us. We smiled back & ordered two glasses of cold beverage & two hotdogs on a bun. We sat & ate our lunch, along with Jack, Les, Davey, Gail & Mr. Denton.

"So, this real snooty mug says to me, 'You can't see Mr. Pulitzer, no one sees Mr. Pulitzer.' Real hoity-toity, ya know da type." Jack said, making rude remarks of the World employee that forced them out of the building.

"Real hoity-toity." Les said. He looks up to Jack & sees him as his role model. I can't blame him, though. Jack's leadership qualities & tough attitude is reason enough for Les to admire him.

"So dat's when I says ta him, 'Listen, I ain't in da habit of transactin' no business with office boys. Just tell 'im Jack Kelly's heah to see him now!'" Oh, how cocky. And that's okay with me. It's actually cute.

"That's when he threw us out." Les suddenly blurted out. David, Hallie & Gail laughed when they heard that. Well, actually, I did, too.

Denton smiled, then put on a serious face.

"Does he scare you?"

I looked at him when he said that, then to Jack. Jack looked serious for a second, but a wicked smile curved on his lips.

"Oh yeah, look at me. I'm tremblin'!" He said, with sarcasm & mischievous mockery on the way he said those words. And I couldn't help but like him even more. It's that bravery & possibly, charisma that attracts me to him. For me, he's not my reminiscence of Frank anymore. He's a different person. They are different from each other. I know that I might never get over Frank, but a new ray of hope shone for me. Maybe I'm not looking for answers anymore, like what I've thought I was. Whatever it is, it might be already here.

"Alright, keep me informed. I want to know everything that's going on." Mr. Denton said.

"Are we really an important story?" Davey asked. Hallie turned at Mr. Denton's direction, smiling very widely again.

"Well, what's important? Last year I covered the war in Cuba. Charged up San Juan Hill with Col. Teddy Roosevelt." Denton told us. That's quite interesting to hear. I can see Hallie looking so excited. When it comes to History, she becomes like this. It even seems that any second now, she would whip out a pen & a small notebook & start writing about this. I admit I don't like History very much. It's kinda dull & boring. But if I'm currently in one of the pages of History, well, I don't think it's boring anymore.

"That was an important story. So, is the Newsies' Strike important? That all depends on you." Denton said. Then, he rose from his chair. He has finished eating his own lunch & is going to pay for all of it, including ours.

"So my name's really gonna be in da papers?" Jack asked him.

"Any objections?" Denton said.

"Not as long as ya get it right." Jack said. "It's Kelly. Jack Kelly."

Denton smiled & was almost at the door when Jack called him back.

"Oh, & Denton? No pictures." Right there, in that moment, I felt something weird. I wonder why he asked Denton not to take pictures? Is he hiding from someone? But that's not what was bothering me. I haven't felt this in a while now. This feeling…it's just like when I was in Frank's house…

"Excuse me, you guys, but I have to leave." I said. I stood up & bolted for the door, just passing Denton & not saying goodbye.

"Haylie! Where are you going?" My twin asked. Like what I did before, I ignored her. This feeling is stronger than before. So strong that it blocks off all my emotions. My feet is dragging me on to somewhere, but I feel like I'm still in control. Then, I broke off into a run. I kept running, running towards somewhere I don't know, but still it feels that I know where I'm going. What's happening to me? This emotion…this feeling makes me haywire like a robot! My left becomes right…insane kind of sane…It's making me mad! I kept on running, forward, left, right…unsure where I'm going. Then finally, I stopped. I looked around. This place…it seems familiar. In our world, this would be where I first met Frank…except that it was a playground on my world…

The whole place was deserted. No one is around. Just myself…and a little boy leaning on a tree. I looked at him. He was facing the other way. It seems like he's waiting for someone. I walked towards the boy. As I got closer, I spoke to him.

"Hey, are you alone? Are you waiting for someone?"

He didn't respond. It's like he didn't hear me at all. I spoke again.

"Hey, can't you hear me? Hey." I said, reaching for his shoulder. But what happened next startled me. My hand just when through him! Is he…a ghost?!?

_"Francis!"_

A voice of a little girl spoke behind me. The little boy turned around. I couldn't see his face; it was blurred. I looked at the little girl. My eyes widened when I saw her. It was-

_"Selene!"_

The boy ran towards her, running through me. I was left there, mouth open wide, eyes bulging. They ran, hands locked to each other. Then, the little girl suddenly looked at me. She was smiling at me, which made my insides lurch. After what I found out today, I couldn't think straight anymore. Everything has two meanings. Everything seems to be so confusing that I don't know what to believe anymore.

"Why is this happening to me?"

I keep asking myself that question. And would keep asking it again & again. It'll never end, not until I find out the reasons why. It is not enough, what we have found out today. Just who is this Selene? And how…why is it that we might be her possible reincarnations? Just how long will this go on? And…is there a possibility that there is connection between Selene, Jack, Frank & this Francis Sullivan? That's another mystery that's getting into me. Who is Francis Sullivan? Well, Snyder called Jack 'Sullivan' before. Is it possible that he…no, it's still unclear. There are too many flaws in this, too many holes uncovered. I don't want to jump into any conclusions.

"What are you doing here?!?"

Suddenly, a voice spoke behind me, startling me. My heart's beating too fast that it's painful. I slowly turned around to face whoever this person is.


	21. Discouraged

Okay, haven't updated for a while! How long was it? 48 years? Ages? Centuries? Millenia? Damn! Well, this chapter is mostly around the hours where Jack the others are negotiating with Spot to join the strike. Some of the situations in here (which is just quite a few) are taken from the original Newsies script, as I'm trying to merge the events of the original the one we have now. But there will be some turning point in this story that would change most of the events in the movie, to make way for the whole Selene mystery. And I better stop talking now. Let's get this thing going on!

* * *

My heart sank like a ship when I turned around to see who it was. It was just Racetrack, passing by, finished with his negotiations with the newsies in Midtown.

"Racetrack! Oh my God, you scared me."

"Sorry." He said. "What'cha doin' heah anyways"

"Nothing." I answered.

"Did'ja eat lunch? You look a bit pale." He said. I nodded.

"Well, c'mon den. Let's go back to da square."

I walked with Racetrack back to the Newsies Square, which most of the other boys have gathered. Racetrack whipped out his deck of cards and challenged the others with a game of poker. Dawn was sitting at the far end of the statue, and next to her was, of course, Dutchy. They were talking about something, and they looked quite…smug. I wonder what? My sister is nowhere of sight. I think she went along with Jack, Davey and Boots to Brooklyn. Gail probably went forcibly along with them. (I don't know why she insisted to go. Maybe it has something to do with that person she was mumbling curses about…) We waited for them to show up with the Brooklyn newsies. The kids were playing with their wooden swords, like the Three Musketeers or something. Les, who was one of them, beat the others at it. I was kind of bored already, so I went over to him and talked to him.

"Hey, those were some pretty slick moves back there."

"Oh, hi, Ms. Haylie." Les replied shyly. It's true that I never really talked to him that much, but I was surprised with the formality.

"You needn't be so formal, Les. Just call me Haylie."

"Okay, Haylie." Les said, smiling.

"So, you really admire Jack, huh" I asked. Les beamed at me, his admiration and enthusiasm sparkling within his eyes.

"Oh yeah! When I grow up, I wanna be just like him. I want to be as strong as he is."

"Yeah, that's probably the trait he's most to be admired with." I said, thinking about it.

"And he's also good with girls, too. I mean, many girls like him so much." Les said. I snapped out of my delusion and looked at him. He looked back at me, too. There was a glazed look in his eyes.

"And you're one of those girls, aren't ya"

Boom! That came down to me like a nuclear bomb. If I would have Les' point of view, I'd say I'm blushing like crazy right now. And I'm probably right.

"Hey, you're blushing"

"N-no, I'm not! It's just hot out here, you know! When it's hot, my face goes red like this, you know. I-I'm not blushing." I stuttered, saying things like that defensively. Les' lips curved into a mischievous smile.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it. But I still think you like Jack."

"No, I don't! Really" But the truth is, I like him. Denial's the only option I can choose right now to keep this little secret kept SECRET. I don't know why all of a sudden I started liking Jack. Sure, I admitted that to myself already, but I don't know why. And I can say for sure that it's not because of Frank. I can't keep myself in the past anymore. But…remembering what I saw before, in that place where an apparition of Selene showed up, along with that faceless apparition. Francis Sullivan, yes, that was his name. Lucille told us about him and Selene's story. When I think about it, it's as if I can almost feel what's she's feeling that time, when she left for England. But what's more sorrowful than that is her father erased the memories of all those who knew his daughter, especially Francis' memories. How cruel! Why does that have to happen to her? I felt hot tears form behind my eyes. The more I think about it, the more I seem to feel the sadness of that story. This, for sure, has happened to me in that vision of that 'Field of Souls'. As in another person's emotions flowed through me.

"Haylie, why are you crying"

Without noticing it, my tears slid down, crystal-clear beads drenching my cheeks. I hastily dug in my pocket and took out my handkerchief and wiped my eyes and face. An alibi flashed through my head and out of my mouth.

"Oh, I-I'm not crying, Les. I just yawned. When I yawn, my eyes get so teary, it looks like I'm crying. So…"

"Oh, okay. Are ya sleepy"

"Umm, kinda."

I looked around my surroundings, watching these boys prepare for the strike in an atmosphere of innocent fun and chaos. Racetrack stopped playing poker for a while and directed a group to make picket signs, but they ended up throwing paint at each other. Dawn, knowing her, not wanting to get splattered by paint, got away from the spot as soon as possible. But she was almost successful. One of them smeared red paint on her skirt.

"OH-MY-GAWD! My skirt"

It was Dutchy who did that. Dawn chased him around the square and tried to splatter him with paint.

"You're not going to get away with this, Dutchy! Say sorry"

"Only if yer gonna give me one"

Oookay, I think Dawn's enjoying herself, except for the fact that her skirt is smeared by red paint. After a few moments, I saw a small, blond-haired figure walking towards us. I recognized the person right away. It was Gail. As she was approaching, she looked mighty pleased with herself, grinning ear to ear, skipping and prancing all the way.

"What are you so happy about" Dawn asked, noticing this not very unusual happiness of Gail.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that revenge is sweet, and I'm currently on sugar rush." She replied with her usual high-toned voice, sounding extremely glad.

"'Currently'? It seems like always to me." Skittery remarked glumly. You know, I don't know why, but it seems like he's always on a bad mood. Kinda like Taylor, although she's much worse.

"Dude, I just had the best day of my life. You wanna ruin my parade, then you gotta do better than that." Gail answered back, still grinning like The Joker. Skittery just crossed his arms and went back to being even more grumpy.

"Hey, I thought you went with Jack and the others." I said, noticing that they're not here. "Where are they"

"Oh, umm, still back in Brooklyn. I just went along 'coz I needed to make an arrangement between my foot and someone's ass." Gail said casually. I cringed a bit when I heard that. Gail is kinda violent. She settles things by fighting with other people. Shortly after, Jack, David, Boots and Hallie arrived, faces marked with disappointment. Hallie made her way towards us and talked to us in whispers.

"Damn, this sucks." She said.

"Why, what happened" I asked.

As we are having our own conversation, I heard the boys' conversation from here. Some of them aren't joining the conversation. Several young newsies are playing marbles beside a "Don't buy World or Journal" sign. Playing games, throwing stones at passing carriages and basically having a good time. Some of them just came back from collecing rotten fruits and vegetables from vendors nearby. I saw Mr. Denton nearby, setting up a shot. The others looked curious on where the other newsies are.

"Jack, so where's Spot" Racetrack asked this question. Jack frowned and answered back.

"He was concerned about us bein' serious. Ya imagine dat"

"Well, Jack, maybe we oughta ease off a little, ya know" Racetrack suggested.

"Widout Spot an' da others, there ain't enough of us, Jack." Blink said, a lighted cigarette in his hand. I'm not really a big fan of smoking…

"Maybe we're movin' too soon. Maybe we ain't ready, ya know" Mush said, also a bit discouraged without the sight of the Brooklyn newsies here. I went back to our own conversation about this pressing matter.

"Well, Spot Conlon, the leader of the Brooklyn newsies won't join us. He won't join in because he wants some proof from us, I mean, them that they can do this thing and win the strike." Hallie explained. Then, she turned at Gail and pointed her finger at her. "And this blond-haired monkey over here made it much worse"

Gail, still happy about that revenge thing, just smiled back and batted her eyes.

"Well, the asshole deserved it."

"Yeah, okay, whatever! He was our only chance to win this strike, Gail! When the Brooklyn newsies join, the other newsies from the different areas of New York will join too. This is so gonna be your fault if history gets screwed because they didn't win the strike."

"Oh yeah? Well…well…"

"Well what"

"Well, he still deserved it! He was such a meanie! I hate him"

Hallie had reached her boiling point.

"ARRRGGHHH"

The newsies looked at her, curious of what happened, but she chose the option of ignoring them. She stomped her way out of the square and went somewhere else.

"What's her problem" Gail said, crossing her arms. Dawn and I glared at her. She chewed on her tongue and kept rolling her eyes. It was a long time before she even noticed we were looking daggers at her.

"What"


	22. The Riot

It took a while for Hallie to cool off. I was curious about what Gail did, so I asked her.

"What did Gail do to Spot Conlon anyway?"

Hallie, her face still marked with fury, answered back.

"You know that 'infamous' jump-kick in the face by Gail, right? Well, she did just that!"

Oh. The jump-kick. Leaves a red shoe mark on someone's face when done with proper kicking. Gail settles every fight she's in to with that.

"Why did she do it?" I asked, looking towards the direction where Gail sat, watching the newsies. Strangely, though, they're in a festive mood, jumping, singing & dancing about. Curious passer-bys stand & watch them. For newsboys, they sure can dance quite well.

"Well, it seems that the person Gail was mad at last night turned out to be Spot. Her Game Boy thingy was snatched by one of his newsies & she chased him down on to Brooklyn. And blah blah blah, whatever! The feud between those two idiots started, involving the Newsies strike!"

Okay, that's not new to us. I've heard that before. Gail also has an arch-nemesis back in our own time. It's also a boy. His name is Mark. She has hated the guy since they were classmates back in the third grade. Although Mark has already apologized to her, (By the way, he and his friends played a nasty practical joke on her back then.) she won't forgive him. The guy has asked for forgiveness and he also seemed sincere, so why won't Gail forgive him? I think the fight between her and this Spot Conlon will also end up like that. Gail being so stubborn on not forgiving the guy for whatever he did to her. Which leads to that question: What did Spot do to Gail anyway?

_Open the gates and seize the day_

_Don't be afraid and don't delay_

_Nothing can break us _

_No one can make us_

_Give our rights away_

_Neighbor to neighbor_

_Father to son_

_One for all and all for one!_

The newsies sure are enjoying themselves in the midst of everything bad that's happening. Just look at the bright side, eh? That's a good trait. From afar, the circulation bell begins to ring.

"Anybody heah dat?" I heard Jack shouted from the center of the square. Hallie was shaken off from her angry state, curious of what's happening. I, too, was also curious.

"NO!" the others shouted with glee.

"So, what are we gonna do about it?"

"SOAK 'EM!"

A large outburst from the newsies erupted, running towards the distribution center. Gail, who was looking excited, ran towards us and grabbed our hands.

"C'mon, you guys, let's join 'em!"

Well, I wanted to. I just don't know if my sister does.

"Ah, you know I'm mad at you, right?" Hallie said with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, come on! This'll be fun!" Gail said, looking really excited.

"Yeah, come on, Hallie. Don't stress about the whole strike thing. You're too high-strung. Let's have a little fun." I said, smiling at my sister.

She looked at me with a sour expression, but shortly, it turned to a better one.

"Oh, all right!"

We ran after the boys in the distribution center. Some of the smaller ones sneaked in with the crates of rotten tomatoes. I think I know where this is going to. Jack and Davey's up in the platform, persuading, or rather, intimidating the "scabs" to join them. The newsies and the scabbers have a stand off. Three scabs finally joined in with the newsies.

"Whoa, I think we'll have trouble with that one." Gail whispered to me. I placed my eyes back on the crowd and saw a tall scab come up against Jack. He tries to get by, but the guys won't let him.

"Jack, just don't…"

I heard Davey trying to persuade Jack not to do anything brash. But Jack didn't listen. He took the bunch of newspapers out of the tall scab's hands by force. The scab tries to reach for it, but instead, forces his way out of the distribution center. And that, my friends, is the start of a-

"RIOT!"

Gail squealed with her high-pitched voice. The boys started beating up the scabs, who eventually run away. One of them even shoved me out of the way!

"Hey, that hurts!"

Dawn fled from the scene, either probably afraid of getting hurt or afraid of getting a perfectly manicured nail broken. Taylor joined in with the soaking. She looked like she was enjoying herself, beating up those boys. I saw Gail, not far from where I am, holding a stick.

"BATTER UP!"

A boy up in the platform threw a rotten tomato at her and she hit it back. The tomato flew up to the window, got squished in the railings where Weasel and his two nephews were cowering behind. Then, the kids started throwing tomatoes at them. They almost hit them, though. Weasel closed the window. The others were tearing up newspapers. I joined them and started tearing the newspapers with them. This is fun!

"WAHOO! THIS TOTALLY ROCKS!"

Gail shouted. She jumped at Mush's back and ran around the chaotic grounds. Hallie threw paper balls at Davey and vice versa. Jack tried chasing me around the place. I threw a rotten tomato at him, but unfortunately, he avoided it with ease. He went up to the distribution window and started making faces and blowing raspberries at Weasel, Oscar and Morris. I can just imagine them looking mad inside that room. The newspaper riot continued. Gail laid on the torn newspaper-covered ground and tried to make newspaper angels.

"That's not going to work!" Halle said, laughing.

"Hey, I was just trying!" Gail said. We laughed our heads of as the commotion continued. The newsies started making indian noises and jumping around. It was pure fun and chaos. We helped them push a delivery cart onto its side. It toppled over and some of them, including Gail, jumped at the top of it. But good fun always comes to its end point, as we heard cops blowing whistles.

"Cheese it! Cheese it, it's da bulls!" Jack shouted.

At once, we ran to the exit. We escaped before any of us get caught by the cops. We were halfway out of the scene, when we heard Racetrack's voice calling out to Crutchy.

"Crutchy! Scram! Scram!"

"Oh no! Crutchy! Hey, I'm going back!" I said. Frantic as I was, I ran back to the distribution center. But, in the most unfortunate moment, the gates are being blocked by the police. With unpleasant images racing through my mind, I tried to force my way into the crowd of people. Suddenly, I felt a hand gripping mine tightly. I turned my eyes on whoever pulled me back. It was Jack.

"What da hell are ya thinking! Do you wanna get caught!"

"Let go of me, Jack! We have to save Crutchy!"

"Oh, yeah. You got a plan?"

That sentence shut me up. What was I to do? I'm just a girl. As if I can do anything to save Crutchy.

"No, but still…"

"He's gonna be fine. Don't worry."

"But…"

"No buts. C'mon, don't worry."

Tears started forming behind my eyes, threatening to spill any minute.

"But who will save him?"

"I will. I know where they're takin' 'im."


	23. Something in Common

Nine o' clock, nighttime. Everyone in the Lodging House is all worked up and uneasy. I kept pacing back and forth, worried sick and blaming myself for not doing anything. How could I be so insensitive? If I could turn back time, (Well, now that's a funny sentence) I would let myself be caught instead of Crutchy. I wish I could've done something…

"Hey, are you alright?" I heard Gail's voice spoke behind my back. I turned around and put on a smile on my face.

"Umm, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Gail looked at me, her baby-blue eyes eyeing me suspiciously. Then, she sighed, then suddenly blurted out-

"IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO, OTHER THAN WORRY LIKE NEUROTIC GRANDMAS?"

The boys, who were restless as we were, sitting in different corners of the lobby, stared at her blankly. I know they feel same way like we do, except they probably feel worse than I do. After all, they're Crutchy's only comrades in this world. All of them. They're almost brothers, since most of them don't have a family. I felt even worse when this thought entered my mind. I feel so useless, like I'm not worth anything. I should at least do something. Not just for Crutchy, but for everyone.

"Gail, da only t'ing you goils can do is wait." A voice spoke. It came from the top of the stairs. Then, slowly, the person who spoke descended the stairway. It was Jack.

"Okay, is there any other options, bro? I'm not really the 'waiting' kinda girl." Said Gail, sounding strangely mature than usual.

"No. Just stay heah. I'll take care of dis." Jack said. Although that was short, I felt intimidated by Jack. Is it his charisma or just the fact that I like him that's getting into me? He just sounded so…_manly_.

…oh, just snap out of it! This is really not the time for thoughts like that. Maybe I could force him if I could go with him? If I want to do something for everyone, I'd better start now.

"Jack, may I go with you? Maybe I can help."

Jack, who was putting his favorite cowboy hat on his head, turned at me and said…

"No."

Of course, that'll be his initial response. Still, I had to persuade him.

"Jack, please. Can't I go? I feel so responsible for what happened to Crutchy. I should've let myself be caught instead of him. I'd kill myself if anything bad happened to him."

For more than a minute, Jack gaped at me, his eyes widened with disbelief. But he soon retained his composure and responded.

"Haylie, dere's no reason for ya ta feel responsible for what happened. Nor kill yerself fer dat matta. It's not yer fault. It's not anyone's fault. None of us liked what happened. An' we'se all feel da same as youse. Like I said befoah, da only t'ing you can do is wait. I'll get 'im outta dere in no time."

After he spoke, Jack smiled and winked at me. He bid farewell to us, going to Davey's house to fetch him, then they'll both make their way into The Refuge. Jack was imprisoned there before, but he got out. And now, he'll get Crutchy out. His words sounded reassuring enough. I just hope he brings Crutchy back safe and sound. Hallie entered the Lodging House, her face also marked with worry and uneasiness. She just came back from Davey's house. She, too, is worried about Crutchy. But she had to put on a positive outlook, right? So do I.

"They'll get him out, guys. I know they will." Hallie said to us. I hope so…

* * *

Midnight. I woke to the sound of a door opening downstairs in the lobby. I wasn't sleeping, actually; I was wide awake. Knowing whom it was, I jumped out of bed immediately. But it seems I'm not the only ones who couldn't sleep. Most of the people inside the bunkroom were awake the whole time. We made our way to the staircase to see Jack with Crutchy, safe and sound. 

"See, told ya Jack's gonna get 'im out of dat Refuge place!" one of the newsies said to another.

"Of course, he will! He got out from dat place befoah, right? It's no problem for 'im ta get Crutchy out!" Mush said proudly.

"Jack, I know you-"

"…hey, where's Crutchy?"

"I don't understand! You said you'd get 'im out."

Jack returned to the Lodging House without Crutchy. Why he wasn't with him, Jack explained the whole thing to us. Crutchy himself said that he refused to leave The Refuge. Jack offered to carry him on his back, but Crutchy doesn't want anyone carrying him. But I wonder why Crutchy won't leave the place. I think the reason he can't walk is not what's really about. I think it's something else.

"So, dere. If any of you bums don't wanna believe me, den go to da Refuge and ask 'im yerself." Jack said, upset. He walked away from the room and ascended the stairs. We followed him up. The others went back to their bunks to sleep, while I went to the rooftop. There, Jack was sitting at the ledge, thinking to himself.

"So, Crutchy refused to leave, huh?"

Jack emerged from his deep thinking. He opened his lips, but no sound came out. As I look at him, it seems that he's thinking of something to say.

"Jack, you can say anything, you know. Or are you afraid of that thing called 'talking'?" I said, smiling. He frowned at me.

"Talk is for wimps." Oh, yeah. It's that being all 'macho' and saying 'talk is for wimps'.

"Oh, come on. I'm not going to eat you alive or anything. Don't you wanna talk?"

"Dere's nuddin' ta tawk about."

"Oh, really?"

For a silent moment, we looked at each other eye-to-eye. Actually, this is the first time I had any serious eye contact with Jack. That even went on longer. Complete silence. Just a straight eye contact. His eyes to my eyes. Those brown eyes looking straight at mine. I feel a strange feeling. Magnetic, those eyes were. As if those brown orbs are delving into my very soul. As if I'm invulnerable and helpless when that stare penetrates me. And as I remember…it's only Frank who makes me feel this way.

"Haylie, what's wrong?"

The eye contact was broken. It's then I realized that my eyes are flooded with tears but did not spill any.

"Oh, umm, it's…it's nothing."

It's that memory again. Forgetting someone you loved in the past is the most difficult thing to do. It always, always comes and haunts you all over again. And that main reason I can't forget him is this person in front of me.

"Maybe we really need ta tawk."

"But, you just said there's nothing to talk about."

"I was kiddin'."

For maybe almost an hour we talked in the rooftop. I asked him about his past and how he got out of the Refuge. He didn't say much about his past, but I was surprised about what he told me about his great escape from the Refuge. The one I heard before was the abridged version. It seems there's more to that of his heroic escape.

"When I got sent up, me an' dis kid, like Les, but younger, we busted out. Teddy Roosevelt was Police Commissioner den. He was goin' around..."

Jack paused for a moment to remember what happened. A pained expression can be traced around his face.

"... inspectin' prisons. Snyder had us all lined up in da courtyard like good little soldiers. Me an' da kid sneaked onto da roof of Roosevelt's carriage..."

Jack paused again. I can see that telling me this is quite hard. If I was one of the boys, I'm sure he wouldn't be so emotional while telling me this.

"... an' rode on out. When we cleared da gates we stood up an' waved ta Snyder. He went crazy. Da kids was cheering us. Roosevelt thought dey was cheerin' for him."

Jack smiled, thinking about the past. Then, he continued his story.

"Da reporters loved it…made all da papes."

I was curious about the kid. So that's why Jack's very fond of Les. He reminded Jack of that little kid.

"What happened to him?"

I saw this question gave a hard hit on Jack as I see him struggling with the story. I think it's painful for him to remember all those and tell me.

"He died... about a year later. Snyder spotted us on da street one day, started chasin' us. I hopped a wagon. I pulled him up next to me. The kid ... we was laughin', even ... he

slipped and got caught in da spokes of da wheel. I seen it happen a dozen times. Snyder got into trouble all over again."

I watched him as he continued to struggle with the story.

"He was a good kid. We sold a lot of papes. I was just teachin' him to read the headlines."

I can't be more sorry for him. It seems that I'm not the only with a past trying to be forgotten.

"So, that's why sometimes I hear you moaning in your sleep." I said, looking at him with pity. Jack looked at me sharply.

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. You dream about that, don't you?"

Jack went silent. He lowered his head and starts to think to himself again.

"You know, I know how you feel."

"Huh?"

"I do. I wanted to forget it, but I just can't. It keeps coming back to haunt me."

I told him my story. Yes, about Frank. But, I didn't tell him about their resemblance. That would freak him out. I told him how we met…and how we parted.

"I met him when I was seven. I didn't know anyone back then. I just moved there from Japan. Then, he saw me in the swing, all alone. Then, he talked to me."

Jack was listening to me attentively as I share my most fondest memories of Frank. It's harder to tell him this because every time I look at him, I see Frank. It's painful to tell.

"He was a lot like you, you know. Good-looking, reckless, but a good leader…and also a good liar."

We both laughed, even though that was true.

"Hey, I'm not a liar!"

" Oh, see! Look at that. You're already lying."

"But, yer right about da good-lookin' part."

"Pshh!"

I continued my story. I told him about our Christmas where we first gave gifts to each other.

"I gave him a cowboy hat and pair of pistols. I don't know why, but he always loved dressing up like a cowboy and acting like one. Kinda like you."

"Heh, it seems dis Frank guy has a lot in common wid me, eh?"

"Yeah, _a lot_." And a lot more than you think. I told him that how he would always protect me. He even got beaten up because of me.

"He was like my big brother I never had, you know. And I always saw him as one. But, one day, for some reason, it changed. I started to feel different around him. It's then I only realized I fell in love with him when I asked my mother about it."

"But, you were only eight years old back then, right?"

"Yeah, I know. A really, really early age to fall in love. At first, I thought it was only puppy love. But, as time goes by, my feelings for him became stronger that it's not called puppy love anymore."

"So, did'ja tell him how you felt?"

"Almost. Two years later, I was ten years old back then, I made a decision. I decided to tell him how I really feel about him. That I don't see him as my big brother anymore."

It's becoming more difficult to tell him this. His eyes are looking straight at me again. I looked away to escape remembering about Frank's face on the day he died.

"I went up to his room like I usually do. Knocked on the door, no answer, so I opened it instead. I saw a figure, lying motionless on the floor, a look of sadness and despair on his face, not breathing…"

That memory played on my mind like a videotape. I can still remember how his mother cried, how his father disbelieved on what happened to his son, how his friends cried…and how I cried, regretting the fact I didn't tell him earlier.

"He died?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I don't know. I spent six hours on the internet trying find to find cases of a twelve-year old boy's heart just stopped breathing. Until now, we never came with any answer how he died. Even the autopsy can't answer it. And, to top all that, his parents just mysteriously disappeared without a trace."

I can see Jack's eyes looking at me. I can see pity in them. I pitied him too for what happened to him back in the past.

"I never even had the chance to tell my real feelings. If I could just…have one chance…one chance…I'll tell him."

"You really loved him, din'cha?"

"Yeah."

I put myself to silence for a moment. I stoppedto look at the stars above.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Jack smiled and looked up to the night sky.

"Yeah."  
"Frank and I used to count how many of them are there." I told him, smiling. Jack smiled again, then sighed. He prodded me on the shoulder.

"What?"  
"Would'ja like ta count dem now?"  
I was startled. I stared at him for a long time. Then, I thought he might be trying to cheer me up and just let go of the pain. I smiled back at him and said "Okay."

"Good. C'mon, let's start."

It was already past two in the morning. I was starting to feel extremely sleepy. I let out a long yawn and stretched my arms.

"Sleepy already?"

"Uh-huh." I nodded.

"Okay, we stopped at 10,467. Still milliondy billions ta go!"

I laughed a bit. The sleepiness is really getting into me.

"Come on, let's go to sleep. It's almost morning."  
"Haylie, it IS morning."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, we still got to sleep, you know. Come on."

I walked towards the door lethargically. Suddenly, Jack swung his arm around my neck, startling me. At least that shook some sleep out of me.

"Ow! Hey! "That hurt!"

"Ooh, sorry, lil' sis!" He said mischievously. What did he just call me? Lil' sis?

"Huh?"

"Oh, by da way, you can call me yer big brother now." Jack said, smiling widely.

"Why?"

"Well, you said I reminded youse of yer little Franky-boy. So, because he's gone, I'll be yer big brother instead!"

Okay, I really don't know what to think of that. Should I be glad or should I feel insulted?

"I didn't say you reminded me of him. I said you were kind of like him."

"What's da difference? C'mon, let's go inside."

He dragged me inside the bunkroom with his arm around me. To tell you the truth, I kinda like it this way. I do like him, you know. But it's just an admiration. Nothing more than that.

"Haylie, I just one question." Jack said, his arm still around my neck.

"What's that?" Okay, what now? I wonder what is he going to ask? If it's about Frank, then I won't give him a straight answer.

"What's an internet?"

Oh. I mentioned 'internet' before without explaining about it. But I'm not really in the mood for an explanation. All I need is sleep.

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Okay. I'm countin' on dat. G'night, lil' sis!" Jack said, letting go of me. I smiled at him.

"Goodnight, big brother."

I lied on my bunk and closed my eyes. I have a new big brother. And you know what? He's just like you, Frank.


End file.
